Ashes to Ashes, Dusk to Dawn
by silver.qrow
Summary: Something is lurking beneath the shattered moon - a predator that hunts the Huntsmen. A victim to this growing threat, Hunter and her new, unorthodox allies work to suppress this threat as they unearth hidden truths about Remnant . OC-centric story. Following the canon closely.
1. Ch1: Nascence

_RWBY belongs to the wonderful Roosterteeth and Monty Oum._

* * *

Chapter 1: Nascence

Eight Months Ago…

"I'm sorry, Ms. Blanc, but events such as these are moments where one should not lament but reflect on the experience that they've had," Professor Ozpin explained with his hands folded atop one another. He was seated at his desk, speaking to a young student standing before him, covered in scars and bandages – one in particular, a makeshift gauze eyepatch, was over her left eye. Her combat attire was torn and burnt; Ozpin and Glynda, with the latter stationed near the elevator, could nearly ascertain what exactly happened to her from when she entered the office. Regardless, if the headmaster were to speak about the incident any further, he was sure he would break her. He decided to end the conversation on that note. "Hunter, you came here with a purpose, knowing full well of the risks and consequences that were before you, but you persevered and remained here in Beacon; they remained as well. Do not let this tragedy warp your actions. For now, try to rest. I'll inform the professors about your status. In the meantime, promise me that you will remain on campus until further notice."

Hunter kept her lone, amber eye pinned to the floor in silence. Her head refused to rise to see the headmaster's expression. Despite feeling his empathy towards her, she didn't want to look him in the eyes while on the brink of collapse. So, after a deep breath, she responded behind a calm farce. "… Yes sir."

"Good. Now, please, return to your room and get some rest. You will be excused from class for a while."

Following his orders, Hunter turned and headed for the elevator. Glynda, fully aware of the situation, moved aside for her and called for the elevator herself. The two shared a glance before the lift arrived. She remained silent as she watched Hunter access the first floor from the dashboard, and the doors closed. Wasting no time, the professor marched towards her superior. "Professor, we should reconsider our options. After seeing Hunter – after witnessing _this_ – there is no other choice in the matter. This mission can no longer be available to the students."

"Agreed. Before, they appeared to be mere White Fang associates, but we were gravely mistaken. They are far more callous. With Qrow gone, I will have to send out a notice to all Huntsmen and Huntresses that this is a high-level operation that should not be taken lightly. In the meantime, we should inform team HAZL's families of the incident."

The professors ceased talking at the sound of a short, pitched cry, as if to hold back one's anguish. They looked back to the elevator, but, in realizing that it had indeed descended, Glynda looked towards the dim blue light behind one of the pillars occupying the office. "... Hunter?"

The sound of rushing wind signaled the closing of a portal – a signature noise that followed their student's Semblance. The professors then looked at each other before solemnly proceeding as planned.

Hunter closed the portal she returned from and finally opened the elevator doors. Quickly escaping the claustrophobia that filled the small container, she held onto her chest and breathed in a rhythmic fashion. Slowly, but surely, she calmed herself, and she proceeded onward. The time she spent walking to her team's room was agonizingly motionless. Not a word was spoken, and not a single thought had crossed her mind before entering her team's room. Her chest tightened as her fingers wrapped themselves around the handle to her room, then, she pulled open the door...

"Hey, Hunter! How was it?" Leon asked.

Hunter froze. She paled at the suddenness of her partner's greeting and stood petrified and speechless.

His smile was bright. It was _always_ bright. She could have sworn that his smile was the reason why her team believed his presence at Beacon Academy was more than just a mere coincidence. As brilliant as the flash was, however, the light began to dim, and the room was darkened by the veil of night. It was empty despite frothing with countless memories.

The desk between the beds adorned a framed picture of team HAZL last year. Even then, Leon's smile was as bright as a beacon of light.

Hunter tightened her grip on the picture, touching her bandaged, left eye gently. Her shaking hands brought it closer to her until she cradled it against her chest. Feeling her legs start to give way, she sat down in the empty bed beside the desk. "… Leon… Zephyr… Amy… I'm so… so sorry…" She buried her face in her arms and wept silently throughout the night.

The morning after, Glynda approached Hunter's room. She and Ozpin had successfully finished transmitting the messages to the team's families, but Glynda felt the need to confront Hunter about what had occurred yesterday night. The thought of her going out and doing something reckless plagued the professor; she had to at least make sure Hunter was not blaming herself for her team's demise. So she knocked on the door and called out with concern evident in her voice, "Hunter?" but the door was slightly ajar with only one, soft knock.

She burst into the room, slamming the door against the wall. Nothing appeared broken or torn. There were no signs of distress within the room either. The two beds on her left were neat and untouched, and the bed suspended above another untouched bed was empty. She knew she was searching frantically, for her eyes missed the open window in the middle of the room, and her ears neglected the howling wind coming from it. Glynda rushed towards the window, but she saw nothing. _She couldn't have gone far. I should search the courtyard in case she..._ Her hands then gripped the windowsill even tighter, remembering her student's Semblance. Hunter could be off school grounds at this point. _No_ , she thought, _she would never!_ The student was far too faithful to Ozpin to disobey him. If Glynda knew her student, which she did, there was at least one location she would definitely flee to.

In her haste, Glynda arrived in the Emerald Forest as soon as she could, but she could not believe what was standing right in front of her - standing in the center of a massive field of rising ash. There stood a hunched over body, looking at its masterpiece - a field of Dust and dismembered Grimm. By the way her shoulders and body moved in conjunction, she was laughing. She then repressed her laugh, signaling to Glynda that she knew one of her favorite professors was present. She straightened her back and craned her neck back to take a good look at her before stifling her remaining giggle fit into a thin but wide grin. "... I can kill them, Professor Goodwitch. I can really kill them. Will they be proud of me, professor...?"

Those last seven words snapped Glynda back into reality, and she noticed that Hunter's smile had receded into a guilty, self-deprecating frown. It seemed that whatever high she had was gone. Glynda approached her cautiously. Caution turned to partial relief when Hunter's grip on her sword loosened. After realizing that her student was now emotionally and physically exhausted, she relaxed herself. There was nothing more to talk about – nothing more to check up on after seeing that.

With Hunter subdued and seated beside the professor, Glynda contacted Ozpin immediately. After receiving her orders, she held her hand out to Hunter stand. "... Ms. Blanc. If you want, you may take my hand." Her student willingly accepted her offer, and she led Hunter back to Beacon, reassuring her that everything was going to be okay along the way.

' _As reluctant as I am to say this, it is about time I tell you what had happened over the past two weeks,' Ozpin explained to the professors. 'As you all know, team HAZL left two weeks ago on a reconnaissance mission and was told to report back to Beacon after one week. Unbeknownst to us, they had encountered a Grimm horde. We received a call from Zephyr, but he, as well as his comrades, had fallen in battle before reinforcements arrived. I… won't go into details, but their leader, Hunter, was left in critical condition. She is awake, yes, but it is obvious that she is in no condition to participate in class. For her sake, please look after her until further notice.'_

* * *

Present Day…

Forever Fall. The forest was beyond beautiful in autumn, though it most definitely was not due to both the season and the forest sharing the name 'Fall'. It was a rather beautiful day out in general. The sky was clear, the sun was shining, and the red leaves of the forest scattered like rose petals. Yet, strangely enough, some leaves had darkened. More specifically, they had been burned, though no signs of fire were present. Just beyond the kingdom of Vale, a tree with Grimm decor impaled on it had been burnt. The sole perpetrator, a boy with beige skin, had his green and black gloved hand outstretched with the other gloveless and resting on his left knee for support. He was wearing a silver long-sleeved shirt underneath a large trench coat of stitched together blue and brown fabric that offered a brown full sleeve for his right arm and a blue shorter sleeve for his left. A sky blue shawl crossed over his chest, from his left shoulder to his abdomen, with its tail hanging loosely behind his back. His dark, baggy pants were stopped at the knees by large, blue and black plates of armor that fit onto his boots.

He lowered his arm and cautiously stepped towards the Beowolf, careful to not awaken it if it were simply unconscious. Whoever theorized that sixty seconds was a minute was completely wrong; the skirmish the boy just survived felt like five minutes at best. He finally raised his body from its semi-crouched state, noticing that the Grimm was indeed dead, impaled against the side of the tree by a massive, armored naginata. To make his assumption even clearer, it was slowly dissipating. The boy struggled to rip the weapon from the Beowolf's chest, but, once free, he toppled over due to the weapon's massive size in comparison to his. The weapon reverted back to its double-bladed kusarigama form, and he latched it onto the metal plate attached to the back of his belt. "Wow… that actually worked… sweet," he panted, dusting off his coat. _And somehow it still managed to ruin my jacket._

"Azure, have you cleared out a path yet?" a voice called from behind him.

"Y-yeah! Vale should be just up ahead!" He dropped down the hill behind him to meet up with his mother and grandfather. She had fair skin and dark blue hair whereas Azure's grandfather had blueish-silver hair and pale skin. Both were wearing more than just patched up cloth underneath the blue cloaks that were embellished with their family symbol. Other than that, they did not have much. "Are you sure you should be holding Gramps?"

"What? Upset that Claire is stronger than you?" his grandfather teased. Azure glared at him from behind his fogged, square glasses. "Like I'd be upset about my mother being stronger than…" He held that thought and pondered over it. He straightened his posture, scratching his head while avoiding eye contact. "… Actually, it is kind of embarrassing."

Claire failed to hide her laughter. "Oh, don't worry about that. You've got your father's intuition. That's all you'll need for now."

Azure sighed as he brushed his long, disheveled hair out of his line of sight. It made no difference for his mother and grandfather, however. "Yeah…" He turned away from them and began scouting ahead again.

They have been traveling for days now. His grandfather's condition was not getting any better – he had been sick ever since their group of travelers were attacked by Grimm. His father and the remaining travelers continued to wander however. His father understood that the others also wished to journey to a safer region, but he was not heading towards Vale. He took it upon himself to lead the rest of the travelers to safety while entrusting Azure with the safety and well-being of his wife and father-in-law.

"Dad's smart. What would he do?" Azure mumbled to himself. His eyes darted left and right behind his glasses as he observed his surroundings. Nothing more than trees, rocks, and a dirt road. _Is that really it?_ Azure walked ahead. In a clearing, he noticed a tree with a large strip of bark missing. Ahead of him were the footprints of a creature type he was all too familiar with. _Beowolves. The tracks lead away from us, but they're fresh. I don't think I can survive another encounter with my Aura as low as it is… and there are several pairs of footprints. I'm too exhausted for this. Then again, I could… No. No, that would be reckless._

Azure returned to his mother and grandfather, shaking his head solemnly. "We've got two options," he informed, visually representing both the options with hand gestures. He waved to the forest and road respectively as he spoke. "It looks we can take to the forest some more, but Beowolves may be roaming about. It also looks like we can head towards the road. Who knows – maybe someone will pick us up there, though that might take even longer…"

"Limited options, eh?" his grandfather surmised, "Whatever you choose, we will follow."

 _Why am I always stuck with this 'Party Leader' stuff?_ Azure mentally groaned, shaking the headache out of him. "Let's just hope someone comes along so we can hitch a ride," he decided with a calm smile.

As they approached the dirt path, Azure turned to his mother. "How're you holding up?"

"Oh. Don't worry. Your grandfather is quite light, to be honest."

"Bah!" Azure's grandfather scowled, causing the two to laugh. The boy returned his gaze to the kingdom of Vale. The kingdom truly was a sight to behold with the sun beaming down upon the glorious architecture, especially for the young fighter. "Wow… That's Vale, huh?"

"Beautiful, isn't it? The village doesn't even compare." Claire acknowledged. "After being away for so long, I've kind of forgotten how the kingdom looked on the inside. Which reminds me: You've never been inside a kingdom before. This would be a great opportunity for you to get accustomed to new environments."

"Y-yeah… wow…" Azure, still in awe, almost disregarded his mother's words. At times, he could hear the bustling from within the kingdom's Commercial District. The sounds were, to be honest, foreign to him. It was not often for a city car to pass by the village, especially when one travelled as much as his did. He was so entranced, in fact, that he nearly forgot to stop at the dirt road. He was forced from that trance as a vehicle sped by. The boy backed away before he became roadkill, shaking his head quickly. "Nope. This is a terrible idea."

"Don't be like that, Azu," Claire laughed. She sat her father on a nearby rock. At first glance, his illness did not appear too intense. However, the more Azure looked at his grandfather, the more he noticed that he was repressing his illness, making sure that his daughter doesn't worry too much. _He's sweating, but it doesn't look too bad. His body's reacting to his illness – minor jerks and small spasms. His breathing is erratic… perhaps it's already starting to reach his lungs. Whatever this thing is, it's attacking his respiratory and immune system._

At the sound of an engine, Azure stepped towards the dirt road again and waved as a vehicle came into sight. "H-hey! Can we hitch a ride? We have someone who is ill-"

The vehicle didn't stop and sped right past him, nearly knocking Azure down. He fixed his blue hair and straightened his clothes _again_ shortly after. "Geez. What's wrong with that guy? Jerk."

"Maybe you should be more threatening," Claire suggested while arming herself with an invisible rifle, "Try aiming your laser at the car. I'm sure that they'd stop then."

"We're not carjacking anyone, Mom," he declined the idea in a nervous chuckle. Soon enough, another vehicle, a large gray truck, rode towards Vale. Azure squinted, seeing through the window and spotting an old, balding man on the wheel. Already peeved by the previous attempt's failure, he quickly ran out in front of the truck with arms wide open. 'Desperate times call for desperate measures,' they say.

"Please stop! We need to get to Vale!" he shouted, and the old man stomped on the brakes. The truck came to a rocky stop just before it made contact with Azure, yet the dust and dirt that had kicked up had basically cloaked the boy. After dusting himself off for a third time, he smiled to his mother, who was on the verge of snapping at him for acting so selflessly. His grandfather laughed with a few coughs breaking through.

Azure held the door open for his mother, who secretly plotted to have a word with him later, and grandfather and later joined the balding old man in the passenger's seat.

"Wh-what do you want? Are you robbing me?" the man asked, raising his hands in surrender.

"Rob? _You_? No, no-no-no-no-no. We just need to get to Vale, like, right now. My grandfather needs to get to a hospital. Please?"

"Oh. Of course, I can drive you there."

"Thanks. I owe you one." Azure smiled, pressing his hands together and bowing slightly. He glanced over his shoulder, seeing his grandfather breathing heavily now. _It's getting worse…_

The old man, later identified as the Shopkeep of _From Dust Till Dawn_ , a dust shop located within Vale, brought the family to his shop. From the looks of things, Azure noticed that it looked relatively rustic. The mahogany wood of the shelves and desks calmed the boy's nerves after riding through a kingdom littered with holographic lights and foreign technology. Dust and magazines littered the shelves, and if he had the money for it, the Shopkeep would be rich by now. The rush was short-lived only because of his grandfather's condition. The coughing fits were growing even more violent, even though they were in short bursts. Azure helped his mother sit his grandfather on a chair within the shop. He then turned back to the Shopkeep, thanking him once more. "Thanks again, but I still need to know where the nearest hospital is."

"A few miles from here. I can drive him there if you'd like; he looks like he's in bad shape."

"Yeah, that'd be the best option. Thank you." Azure walked to his mother and grandfather. The two listened carefully, seeing that Azure was in deep thought. "The Shopkeep is going to drive you to the hospital, Gramps. Mom, can you stay by his side until I return? I'll be grabbing some supplies for the night."

"Alright. Be safe out there, Azu." Claire brought her father's arm over her shoulders and helped him stand to his feet with a low grunt. "Come on. You're going to be alright."

"Heh. I'm going to tell you this only one time, Azure. Welcome to Vale," he said, delivering smile that surely foreshadowed a dark and interesting future for his grandson. Somewhere, deep within the boy's stomach, he knew that his old man would not die before seeing his grandchild hopelessly lost in the large kingdom.

* * *

Some time had passed ever since his family left the shop and Azure left to shop for supplies. With the Shopkeep's advice, finding the store was nothing short of challenging. The challenge became apparent when Azure realized that he neglected to ask how to navigate in said store. As unfortunate as it was, he was undoubtedly lost within the seemingly large convenience store. His eyes spun as dozens of unfamiliar faces danced around his field of vision. In their eyes, he danced around the aisles like a drunkard. _I've made a grievous error…_ he thought to himself, trying his hardest to regain his composure. As simple as it seemed, the sea of people were not making his efforts easy, keeping him adrift in the raging river he soon called Vale. He forced himself forward, taking everything one step at a time, but he knew not where he was going… nor who he would soon bump into.

Azure stumbled backwards, shocked that he actually bumped into someone. The man turned. His tousled gray hair nearly covered his brown eyes. He was donning a black suit and a green scarf with cane in hand. Azure regained his footing and bowed sincerely with his palms pressed together. "S-sorry! I wasn't watching where I was going – this hair really doesn't help my eyesight at all!"

"… I see," the man said. He could see that the boy was already a nervous wreck by how he shook in place. Realizing the brief pause between them, Azure warily raised his head and took note of how the man was subtly studying him. Somehow, the man had caught onto Azure's subtle actions as well; the boy's shaking lessened but was still noticeable. The man then spoke up. "My apologies. I don't believe I've seen a face like yours around Vale."

"Oh. Heheh. Yeah… it's a pretty big kingdom," Azure shrugged, continuing his nervous laugh.

"Yes, and Remnant is quite a small world. May I ask your name?"

"Ah! Right. My name's Azure Bliksem. Nice to meet you."

"Likewise," the man said, shaking Azure's hand. "Do you know who I am, by any chance?"

"Err…" Azure's eyes quickly scanned the man faster than before, trying to assess any name that could possibly be given to the person standing before him. He soon came to a conclusion.

"Agent…Washington...?" Azure softly spoke in an attempt to avoid mistaking the man's name aloud.

The man let go of his hand, his smile growing. This Azure was definitely a strange one. "A small world indeed, Mr. Bliksem. I am Professor Ozpin."

Azure blinked. _A professor? What is he-_ Azure quickly caught a glimpse of a few containers of coffee beans in his basket. _… Ah. That makes sense._

He clapped both hands together, steeled himself, and started to back away from the man. "Well, it was nice meeting you, professor, but I think my aisle is that way."

"That would be the cosmetics aisle," Professor Ozpin informed. His planned statement worked, and Azure cringed, turning slowly to the professor. "Do you need some help, Mr. Bliksem?" he patiently smiled.

After paying for some medicine and food, Azure and Professor Ozpin left the store. The professor stopped. He noted the black-bladed accoutrement latched onto a belt fastened around the boy's lower back. "Mr. Bliksem. Are you a Huntsman by any chance?" he asked, gaining Azure's immediate attention. For some odd reason, he jumped at the word 'Huntsman'.

Azure whipped around almost too quickly. "N-nope. Why ask?"

"That weapon seems… unorthodox."

Azure withdrew his kusarigama. "Oh? Kirin? Yeah, he's pretty – H-HEY! What do you mean 'unorthodox'?" he asked while holding his kusarigama to his chest.

"I meant no disrespect, of course. I've just… never seen anything like it," the professor elaborated with little resistance. _Is it even recorded in the weapon archives?_ The professor's train of thought derailed upon feeling Azure glaring at him from behind his glasses. The boy relaxed a bit before caressing the bulky kusarigama with both hands. Occasionally, he would slowly draw a finger across Kirin's frame, searching for any signs of dust and damage. Still, he talked of his precious partner. "Kirin's amazing. I don't know how I would've survived without him. I built him out of the scrap metal I collected outside. He's pretty special."

"Is that so?" Professor Ozpin inquired blandly, retaining the same expression as before. The weapon truly was an oddity for the professor. The sleek but long black shaft of a handle wrapped in green fabric was accessorized by two trigger guards and a pommel that ended in a pointed tip. From the design of the pommel, Ozpin imagined that it could probably blossom open. The bulky blue frame seemed relatively complex; it most likely unraveled into a longer weapon. There were two screens on the side of Kirin, neither of which displayed anything in particular. The two curved blades ran parallel beside one another when they exited the massive frame through what seemed to be an awkwardly short barrel of a rifle. The most peculiar piece of the weapon for the professor was the addition of a second handle atop the blunt, rounded backside the two blades shared. It offered no trigger but provided a single black shaft; perhaps it was for parrying opponents? This confused the professor for only a moment before he recalled what the boy had just said. "So you've been outside of the kingdom before?"

 _Gah! I've said too much!_ Azure cringed. He quickly latched Kirin to the metal plate. "Oh. Y-yeah. Heheh. Maybe once or twice," he explained with what Ozpin now considered his signature, nervous chuckle.

"You're not very good at lying, I will tell you that much." Professor Ozpin noted in a matter-of-factly voice. The wind blew past the two of them, and Azure stared at the professor cautiously. "M-maybe it's the weather?" Azure commented with a shrug as an attempt to relieve the momentary tension.

Ozpin ignored the comment with ease. "How about we start over then? I am Professor Ozpin, headmaster of Beacon Academy."

Azure sighed, reluctant to tell the man his name. "… Azure Bliksem. I'm a traveler – born and raised outside of the kingdoms."

"A traveler? Interesting. Tell me, Mr. Bliksem, is there any particular reason why you are in Vale, carrying a weapon such as…" Ozpin could see the Azure's brow furrow at the expected 'that' comment. "... Kirin?" he corrected, saving himself from the foreseeable argument in the future.

"I'm just stopping by. I've never been to Vale before, so my mom thought that this would be a good opportunity. Is something wrong with that?"

Professor Ozpin then felt a slight presence of hostility towards him. He narrowed his eyes. "Not at all, Mr. Bliksem. In fact, I hope you enjoy your stay here."

"Thanks for the welcoming basket… and for paying for the stuff back there," Azure sheepishly added.

The professor nodded, and he began to walk away.

Azure closed his eyes. He let out a sigh of relief. The professor had finally gone away. _Brilliant work, Azu. That was the last thing I... wait._ The boy scanned the area, looking for anything that may be suspicious. When he noticed the alleyway that was behind the professor, he decided to begin investigating. _Focus. What was that presence a few seconds ago? Ill intent? Nothing as strong as a killer's, and it seemed to be aimed at Ozpin._ Azure turned to the alleyway. Though the sun was setting on Azure's escapade, he continued to motion towards the alleyway.

He kept his hand hovered above Kirin's dual-triggered handle as he peered around the corner. Much to his surprise, nothing was there. Still, he cautiously crept deeper into the alley, finding small hairs scattered across the pavement. _From the looks of things, this could be a Faunus._ Azure took a knee and observed the hair. Upon closer inspection, he realized it resembled the tuft of hair that can be found on lynx ears. One awkward sniff confirmed his suspicions, especially when he retreated from the pungent smell. _Yep! Definitely a Faunus. The animals outside of Vale's borders don't have fur of this color, and... What is that?_ Azure stood to his feet. It was barely visible from where he stood, but an emblem had been left on the pavement. Azure took the emblem and studied it carefully. "Polished silver. Crafted, no doubt. The face of a Grimm… Whoever made this has nice craftsmanship. Well, 'finders keepers', as they say in the village." As he put the emblem in his pocket, he began to think about the situation once more. There was barely enough evidence to reach a conclusion, and this was the first time he had ever ventured into Vale. However, he assumed that if this was common, the headmaster of Beacon wouldn't have been so obviously afflicted by such a hostile presence directed towards him.

 _This must be a very rare event then. Either rare or dire. I still have the groceries, so this'll have to wait. I should return to the shop._ With a dejected sigh, Azure walked out of the alleyway with the emblem and a few strands of the lynx Faunus' hair in his pocket. Eventually, he found his way back to the shop where he found the Shopkeep sweeping the floor. His mother was nowhere to be found. "H-hey. The lady that was with me - where is she?"

"She said she was going to rent a room in an apartment near the hospital. She also told me to hand you this." The Shopkeep handed Azure a sheet of folded paper. He unfolded the paper and read it.

'I got us a place to stay. The room number is 117.'

Azure fit the paper in his pocket. "Thanks. Let's meet again sometime. Maybe I'll come around and buy a few things from here."

"Of course."

Hastily leaving the shop, Azure began heading towards the apartment-looking structure in the distance without hesitation, failing to even stop to think about where the building was. With the promise of a safe haven and people who could tend to his grandfather's illness, he sped forward and sought out his new home.


	2. Ch2: 1st Confluence

_RWBY belongs to the wonderful Roosterteeth and Monty Oum._

* * *

Chapter 2: First Confluence

The Midnight Inn…

It took some time to find the apartment, being an outsider and all. Eventually, after an hour or so of asking other residents, Azure found the closest apartment to the hospital. He gazed at the building for a few minutes before turning to face the apartment. _Hang on, Gramps. We'll help you get better._ Azure finally entered the apartment and checked in. He took the elevator to the first floor - which had him questioning why the _real_ first floor was called the _ground_ floor - and walked the rest of the way until he found room seventeen.

"Mom? I'm home," he called as quietly as he could to avoid waking anyone in the other rooms. Upon entry into the plain but humble abode, Azure placed the bags of groceries onto the table in the kitchen, only noticing then that his mother had answered his call with a worried expression on her face. He tilted his head to the side instinctively, studying the concern on his mother's face. "Hey. Is something wrong?"

Claire knew that prolonging the news would be futile, so she spoke loud and clear for her son. "Azu, just to let you know, we may have to leave Vale if things go from bad to worse."

A beat of silence went by before Azure could fully process what she had said. "What? Wait, did something happen?"

She nodded as she nervously wrung her hands around each other. "I checked in with the manager of the building and the doctors taking care of Zaffre. If I can't pay off the expenses within a month's notice, we may be forced to leave. That, and Father's hospital bill is not forgiving either." Claire tore her gaze away from Azure, muttering to herself, "I knew should've asked for more help from the village."

"... E-everything will be alright."

"Huh?" Claire glanced back at her son, who put on probably the most impossible face to wear at this moment. He was smiling, albeit not as strongly as intended.

"We can both get jobs. I mean, I'm old enough to get a part-time job, and I'm pretty smart. I'm certain that we can pay for everything before the month ends!" Azure tried his hardest to remain confident, but even he could hear the uncertainty and shakiness in his own voice. His mother was no different, but she smiled at his determination. "That… sounds like a plan."

"I-it's not a plan. It's just a theory. A sound theory. _Plans_ are only formulated with time and eloquence, neither of which are available at this moment," Azure scoffed as he turned from his mother with his arms crossed.

"That's exactly what your father would say." Claire turned towards the open room that shared a kitchen and living room. "It's getting late. You should go to bed. We'll be very busy by the time the sun rises." Azure nodded in agreement, and he entered his bedroom. Upon entering, he removed his overcoat and hung it on the clothing rack that stood close to a small desk.

The thought of having an actual bedroom amazed him. Granted, any other person would have thought that it was a little too small and empty for the casual bedroom; a bed by the window, a desk with a single drawer and chair against the wall the only door in the room shared, a lamp sitting on said desk, and a closet for any excess clothes was all that occupied the space. These thoughts left him by the time he crashed onto his bed. He had never really felt the comfort of an actual pillow before. It was awkwardly very soft and fluffy for him. He wanted to rest his head on it in various positions to find the perfect spot. The bed was also very different. It was a completely different material than what he slept on while being a traveler. The boy actually found it difficult to rest for more than one reason of course.

Azure reached into his pocket and stared at the metal emblem he carried for the past hour. Just looking at it twisted his stomach. _That Ozpin guy definitely felt that presence. This isn't something I can overlook, is it? Still… what is this thing? It looks like a mask of a... a Goliath. Rubies for pupils. This thing must be pretty valuable… maybe even valuable enough to help identify Ozpin's little stalker friend._ He hopped out of bed and looked out of the window. He located From Dust Till Dawn and began retracing the steps he took with his eyes before feeling the presence of a killer. _A Huntsman's intuition is rarely wrong, and aura only reinforces the senses. If Ozpin and I could feel it, there's no way that presence and this symbol is a mere coincidence._ After pinpointing the location, Azure looked back at the symbol in hand. Studying it closely, he flipped it, revealing a small engraving on its backside. "What's this?"

' _6 nights of darkness. From shadows, we rise. At dawn, we lament the waking man - the hunter.'_

… _Well that doesn't make things any easier._ Azure backed away from the window and placed the symbol on the desk. "Don't worry. I'm just gonna jot down all your info. Then we won't have to see each other ever again." He shone the lamp's light over it and brought his journal out from his coat's pocket. He began to copy the engraving in his journal as well as draw the emblem itself from three perspectives. "Alright, buddy. Now, tell me your secrets." Azure adjusted the glasses on his face and carefully observed the item. After cataloging the emblem, he moved onto the material itself.

 _Oh. I knew I shouldn't have left my workbench with the village. How am I going to check for prints?_ Moving the emblem aside with his gloved hand, he reached into his coat pocket again to observe the strands of lynx hair. _I guess this'll have to..._ His eyes drifted back onto the emblem, which was now shining brilliantly under the lamp's light. "... You're kidding, right?" Azure snatched the item and moved back to the window. Minutes had gone by before a glimmer shone from the alley where he first found the emblem. Azure's curiosity peaked, and a risky idea arose in his mind. "This shouldn't work. This should _not_ work..." Azure quickly grabbed the lamp, and he began flashing the light off of the object. Soon, the shimmering from the alleyway ceased. He waited for another minute or two. One more minute. Nothing appeared to return a signal.

 _Yes! Gotcha!_ Azure threw on his trench coat and looked out of the window. He leapt from the window and released a weak pulse of electricity to propel him upwards to soften the landing. His boots landed against the roof of the smaller building with a rather soft thud, and he ran towards the suspicious alleyway.

* * *

Alleyway…

"Hmm… He's late," a tall man angrily exhaled.

"Noticed?" a second but obviously shorter man concluded without hesitation.

"Getting noticed is not a reputation we want to uphold here, Akane. This is the second time he screwed up. If he gives me one more reason to-"

"Will you two morons shut it?" a third spat as she sat with her bat ears extended outward. The two ceased arguing, though it appeared that they were just about ready to involve her. She ignored the masked glares she received from the men. "I hear footsteps coming from the east."

"That should be him. Once we get the information out of him, we return to headquarters."

"Sorry I'm late, everyone!" a fourth exclaimed, rendezvousing with his team. The tallest glared at him. "Slate…"

"Yes? I do apologize! I-I just needed to get the heat off me! That headmaster almost caught me, and his pal also noticed."

A slight pause filled the air before the tallest swiveled his head towards the apartment complex and back at Slate. "... Curious. Present your emblem to me. Now." he ordered, keeping his eyes fixed on the cowardly Faunus. Slate jumped at the command, but he kept a moderately cool head behind his mask and answered nonchalantly.

"Ah! Aha! That's right. I believe I dropped it here. Did any of you find it?"

The tallest glanced at the third. Despite the mask shielding her face from sight, her silence accompanied by her stiff posture attributed to the chief's suspicions. He asked, "Morrigan, from what direction did you hear the footsteps?"

"East. At least five meters from where we are."

"And from which direction did Slate arrive?"

"... North."

The chief clenched his fist and turned to face Slate, giving off an aura that could have forced Grimm to flee. "We have a rat," he muttered under his breath.

"Um, excuse me?" As if one cue, a voice called from the alleyway's opening. Morrigan lifted herself to her feet and pointed. "That's the one."

Azure's vision grew clearer as the humanoid figures turned to him. _They're all dressed in white and black, and they're wearing masks. Grimm masks… Are these White Fang members?_

Now was no time to be thinking, especially when he could easily be outnumbered in the small alleyway. He shoved the thought aside and moved on to more important things, like surviving. "I, uh, think you dropped something," Azure said, holding the emblem out in front of him. Slate jumped. "Ah! My emblem!" Just before he ran to accept it, the tallest held him back by the hood. "You idiot. It may be a trap."

"If he was ratting us out, he would've fled shouting 'White Fang!' by now," the coward whispered.

"I don't know. The chief's not wrong," Morrigan intervened, "I don't trust this runt. He signaled us using that emblem."

Azure rubbed the back of his neck. "Heheh. Y-yeah, sorry about that. I noticed how shiny this thing can get and then saw you guys doing the same thing. By the way, what _are_ you doing?"

The tallest Faunus, the only one in the group donning a large white and black trench coat and cowl, walked towards Azure, studying him carefully. Sadly, the mask hid any and all expressions that Azure could make out. Only two, luminescent bronze pinpricks were visible behind the man's featureless shroud, and they were studying every detail they could make out from Azure's not-as-hidden face. Eventually, the man spoke up. "That is none of your concern, human."

Despite his tone, he calmly took the emblem from Azure's hands, and then he shoved it against Slate's chest. He paused momentarily, giving Slate what appeared to be a masked glare that burned the words 'Don't lose this again!' in his brain. Slate meekly nodded, taking a few steps back as he put the emblem back in his pocket.

"Perhaps you'd like some form of compensation for delivering this back to our… incompetent friend?"

"Hey!" Slate shouted.

Azure ignored their bickering. It would be best to not get any more involved than he needed to be. "Nope. I honestly didn't have anything better to do. It's all yours." Azure turned from the group.

"Wait," Morrigan called, and Azure halted. A drop of sweat made its way down his cheek. "You don't accept payment? You sure?"

"Yep. I've never been one to make business deals, so let's just say this never happened... unless you feel inclined to pay me. " Azure smiled, holding his hand out to Morrigan. She shook her head with a dismissive wave. "No thanks. Isn't it past your curfew? Runts like you should be asleep this hour."

Azure laughed, albeit a bit nervously, but it almost made his act more believable. "Ah… yeah. I keep forgetting. Later, strangers." He turned and walked out of the alleyway.

Slate let out a small hum. "Well, that was a nice kid."

The entire group glared at the lynx Faunus.

"What? He gave me my emblem back."

"The emblem _you_ lost," the chief reminded. He then pointed to Morrigan. "Dispatch the drones. Have him captured and silenced."

"W-wait, WHAT? You're sending _drones_ on a _kid_?" Slate silently screamed, "What about the mission?"

"We've been compromised. That kid had your emblem for hours. Who knows what he could have learned in that amount of time. We cannot risk the consequences."

"Me," the most silent of the four, Akane, suggested in a low growl. The chief rejected the alternative. "We are not out to kill the child. That would cause an even larger commotion."

For the duration of their debate, Morrigan was silent. In moments, she returned her attention to the chief. "The drones are on their way."

"How many?"

Morrigan responded immediately. "Two should be enough for him. Let's leave before another inconvenience shows up."

Slate reluctantly sighed. "Alright. Everyone huddle up on me." The group motioned towards Slate, and, in an instant, they disappeared.

* * *

Azure continued to walk ahead, allowing many thoughts to cross his mind. It was the sanest action to do after experiencing something so bizarre at night. Though some thoughts were serious, the others were rather… narcissistic. _That was awesome! I got some intel from this_ and _set back their plans… hopefully. Perhaps that made them rethink whatever they were shooting for tonight. Man, Dad would be proud._

… _I'd be in trouble if I run into them again, though. That man's hand… it was cold to the touch. I still have yet to even attempt to comprehend what's going on. From the looks of their masks, it may be safe to assume that they are members of-_

He cut off his train of thought and jumped back, just barely avoiding the honed edge of a blade. The sound of metal striking through pavement resounded through the air. Azure stopped immediately as the man stood up straight. A second walked out from behind the first; his sword was wet and stained with blood. Azure took notice of the cut on his left arm just before feeling the pain shoot through his body. Instinctively holding onto the cut, he forced his pained scream down his throat. _… Didn't take this into account. That was careless of me…_

"He's quick for one wearing armor," one said to the other.

"Yes. Our surprise was ruined. I'll just have to try harder to incapacitate him."

 _You call that incapacitation?_ Azure regained his footing, staring at the masked men ahead. They were patiently waiting for his next action, studying him as he composed himself. He drew Kirin with his right hand, but hovered his left over the handle resting behind the blade.

They paused momentarily, feeling a queer sense of nostalgia. "Strange…"

"Is that weapon even in the archives?"

"Why does everyone respond to Kirin like that?" Azure muttered to himself, though the drones could easily see how depressed the boy got. Regardless of how patient they seemed, one dashed forward with the other following closely behind, as if he were his partner's own shadow.

Azure only took one step back before the drone was within melee range. He swiped horizontally at Azure with the back of his single-edged blade, though he found himself stopped immediately by Kirin's large body. The second flipped over the first. His blade just severed some strands of his blue hair as it missed Azure, but the duo's relentless assaults had not ceased. A flurry of blurred blades attacked in patterns. Both were present above and below, left and right, clipping the armored boots and Kirin, and depleting Azure's near-exhausted aura.

The faster of the two attempted to disarm him, thrusting his blade forward to catch Azure's wrist in a bind. Finally, the boy pressed against his assailant. He deflected the attempted disarm, leaving the drone wide open. With the drone's blade out to his side, he stepped forward and body checked him with his free arm. Azure brought the kusarigama up with the weapon in his left hand and broke the drone's offense with Kirin's handle, forcing him back several feet.

 _Where's the second?_ He jumped at the sudden hands gripping his boots. The second soon emerged from the shadows, and it soon became clear that Azure had been immobilized. The first, now on the offense again, hammered his fist into Azure's gut and followed up with a roundhouse kick that sent the kid flying.

Piles of gravel were built as Azure's gloved hand tore through the ground. His vision blurred for a moment before he came back to his senses. Azure raised himself to a balanced stance, keeping Kirin steady while gripping the bladed handle with both hands. He began weighing his options. There were only two of them. Unlike the mindless Grimm beyond the kingdom, they actually had a pattern – no matter how difficult it was to find. Fleeing was suicidal; they were much faster than him. As one of the masked men motioned towards Azure, he realized he had to come up with something.

 _They're experienced, but even the most experienced of fighters need to know about their opponent. So... Left-handed shadow. Angle of his wrist... The length at which he's holding the blade... Seems to be adept in parrying and swift attacks._

Suddenly, Azure's stance relaxed. He removed his right hand from Kirin and aimed the pommel at the drones. Gears churned as the weapon's form began to shift under the subtle electrical charge. Its pommel blossomed to reveal the hidden, coiled barrel within the handle. He readied himself for when the drones closed in even faster. In one movement, Azure bent over backwards, narrowly dodging the blade, hopped to his feet again. The second attack found itself caught within the extended blades of the kusarigama, and Kirin's barrel was positioned directly in front of the drone's mask.

"Huh?" The masked man stared down the glowing barrel of the luminescent firearm. Azure smiled. A small trail of electricity crackled from his head as the blue light grew even larger. The cackles of heated plasma rang a familiar tune in his ears – a cacophonous, chirping din.

Electricity pulsed from Azure's body into Kirin, and the weapon launched a bolt of lightning from the barrel with a devious cackling noise. In a split second, the drone freed his sword and retreated, warding the electricity with a gust of wind. The drone gripped the handle of his sword; a bead of sweat dripped from his brow. The shadow drone soon appeared by his side.

"Why are you still trying? Turn back now. This is your last chance." Azure threatened with Kirin's handle raised in a defensive stance.

"'Turn back'? Was that supposed to scare me, you cocky little brat!" The drone shouted.

Azure recoiled from the sudden anger of the drone, visibly shaken by the reaction. _Yep. Shouldn't have done that._

The two charged Azure simultaneously. The boy kept his focus on the enraged drone as he leapt through the air. His partner remained on the ground, dashing madly towards Azure.

 _Thrusting for the midsection. Retreat. Six o'clock. Parry. Discombobulate... Improvise._

Azure leapt back as the tip of the sword was thrust at him. The enraged drone uncannily curved behind Azure and dove towards him. With his back to the berserker, Azure released an electromagnetic pulse, swiveling him around in the air as he whipped Kirin in front to catch the sword between the blades once more. The man gasped as a subtle glow came from the boy. A blast of electricity burst from Azure's body, stunning the berserker. His ally took the opportunity to attack. Leaping into the air, the shadow drone raised his blade over his head.

 _Block it! Block it!_

Azure hefted Kirin in front of him with both hands on each handle, and the attack glanced off of its metal plating. The boy was sent flying back; his feet skid across the pavement before the momentum of the attack had left him. The gash under his left deltoid burned under the pressure, even with his hand caressing the wound. _An exploitable wound, but I can't waste my aura there. I need to concentrate._

The enraged drone stood to his feet again. He and his partner nodded to each other – a silent but noticeable exchange. It appeared that they were just about ready to end the fight.

 _Concentrate…_

The armored, bulky portions of Kirin shifted entirely. The bottom half shot backward as the top half shot forward and locked into place with a loud clank. The two blades folded back and snapped into place, and the center extended out from both ends, revealing a second handle that gave the polearm more range. A large, curved blade extended from the seemingly vacant underbelly of the lower frame. Azure's body shone cyan for a split second just before twirling the naginata around his body. Kirin's backside finally came down on his right shoulder as he taunted the assailants with a cocky hand gesture. The assailants stood frozen before him.

 _YES! I've been trying that move for weeks! All that practice finally paid off!_ Azure internally cheered with a sly smirk on his face.

"What… is that thing?" the enraged berserker asked.

"I don't know, but it's huge!" his partner exclaimed. It appeared that, for the first time in this battle, they were completely baffled.

"Why is that everyone's response to Kirin?" Azure complained, louder than before.

The two readied their blades, and they charged forward. A swift slash barely touched Azure's wound. Azure avoided the berserker, aiming directly for his partner. Azure swung using the flat side of Kirin, channeling his lightning through the weapon. It clashed with the man's sword, and, with a thunderous boom, the masked man was launched into a statue. The concrete debris collapsed on the drone, incapacitating him instantaneously. "Oops," Azure cringed. His attention instinctively returned to the battle when the flat side of the berserker's blade was just above his head.

With the snap of his fingers, the berserker halted mid-swing, and he fell to his feet. There was no movement whatsoever besides the minor spasms he was having. His partner, after coming out of his daze, began clearing the debris from on top of him before seeing his ally frozen in place. "H-hey! What's with you? Take him out!"

Azure laughed with great relief. "Well, aren't I happy to use that again? It's been ages since I paralyzed a person."

"W-what…?"

An eerily joyful smile grew on Azure's face as he swung Kirin over his shoulder. "I tagged him when I caught his blade on my laser. Some static got on his blade, and… well, I sent the rest of it into his peripheral nervous system. From there, I was capable of dampening his attacks by tampering with a few sinews and nerve endings here and there. He's gonna probably have back pains after this, but nothing too serious. Heheh." It appeared that he enjoyed explaining exactly what happened, but the drone only continued to stare, confounded by whatever happened to his partner.

"… What?"

"Oh, forget it!" Azure shoved the enraged but paralyzed man down and approached his partner. He reverted Kirin to its kusarigama form and aimed the open pommel at the masked man. "You two made me waste a ton of aura today, so I'm not in the best of moods right now. Tell me what the White Fang is doing here. Why are you targeting Ozpin?"

"As if I'd tell you!"

Azure smiled devilishly. "Alright. Have it your way, but you've given me a good handful of information already."

"What do you mean?"

"Your style. It definitely isn't one you'd use when fighting an opponent of my age. I would've expected this kind of encounter to commence if that Ozpin guy were the target. That means that you two play the assassin's role: Get rid of the target before any information leaks out. What's even more surprising is how you both aren't Faunus, but you work with the White Fang."

The drone noticeably cringed, and Azure continued. "Now I could've sworn that the White Fang despised humans, so I'm wondering why the two seem to be co-existing in some terrorist organization bent on _despising humans_. Seems a bit off, don't you think?"

When the drone failed to respond. Whether or not it was out of fear or loyalty did not matter; the boy's blood began to boil at the silence.

"I'll ask again. What are you people doing here? Why were you targeting Ozpin?"

The man grinned. "Oh… we're not targeting Ozpin. In fact, Ozpin has nothing to do with our plan."

"' _Our_ plan'? What do you mean?" Azure demanded, but the drone kept his mouth shut. Irritation set in, and it only built after the drone noticed and smiled arrogantly. The boy then threatened him; the cackles from the lightning laughed cheerily as electricity gathered from Azure's arm into Kirin, and the blue glow appeared again. "Tell me, or I swear I'm going to-"

"Going to do what, Mr. Bliksem?" a familiar voice asked from a distance. Azure turned, recognizing the unkempt gray hair of Beacon's headmaster. "Ozpin…" Azure noted.

"Lower your weapon, Mr. Bliksem. I'll take it from here," Professor Ozpin reassured, and several VPD officers entered the courtyard. Azure did as he was told, although slower than the professor would have appreciated. Even the blue light remained for a moment or so before finally vanishing.

After quickly taking note of the paralyzed man's status, one of the officers drew his firearm and aimed it at Azure. "O-on the ground! Now!"

"Whoa! H-hold on!" Azure reflexively deposited Kirin behind him and raised both hands. "He's just temporarily paralyzed. The autonomic functions of his nervous system aren't disabled. He just can't move."

"Do not worry officers. He is with me."

The VPD glanced between Ozpin and the boy, and the officer with his weapon raised slowly lowered it. "Well, control your Huntsmen, headmaster. We can't just let some trainee waltz into town and started blowing the place to kingdom come in the middle of the night."

Ozpin acknowledged the officer's request, nodding in affirmation. "Of course. I'll be sure to keep an eye on this one. And thank you for dealing with those two."

Several minutes passed, and the White Fang drones were taken into custody. Professor Ozpin, after considering his options, decided to walk Azure home. In all honesty, the boy could have effortlessly gotten lost without him, and who knew how long the VPD would remain on edge about that incident? _Perhaps the answer to that question, and many more, resides in him?_

He stopped almost too abruptly, and Azure turned back to him. "Are you lost? You shouldn't be. I mean, don't you run the place?"

The headmaster could not help but crack a smile at the boy's occasional naivety. At least it was more welcome than the occasional calculative side of his. "No. It's nothing that simple."

Azure cocked his head to the side, still wondering what Professor Ozpin meant.

Finally, the professor decided to be straight-forward with the boy. "Mr. Bliksem, I was wondering if you would like to accompany me to Beacon Academy."

"Wait. What are you proposing?"

"I'm asking if you would you like to join my school." His tone did not change, and he continued to patiently stare at Azure.

Azure, however, was taken aback. He blinked in astonishment, but not because he was surprised. He was confused and somewhat irritated by Ozpin's sudden proposal. After recent events, it was not unusual that the boy was already irked. "… Why?"

"I'm afraid I will have to ask you why you wouldn't come to properly answer you."

"Well, it's only been one night ever since I entered Vale. I'm pretty certain that a night of seeing me knock two heads around won't justify your proposal either."

Even though the professor did not seem convinced, he tilted his head slightly at the claim. He gave it some thought and nodded. "Noted, but that is not the case. I'm willing to let you join my school for a different purpose."

 _A purpose different than being a Huntsman? It sounds too fishy._ Azure turned his back on the professor. "Sorry, but I've got a family I need to take care of. Tomorrow is when we start looking for jobs, and Gramps isn't getting any better."

"And if I told you that I'd be willing to help accommodate for you and your mother as your grandfather recovers at the hospital, would your answer remain the same?"

Azure froze. _How did he…? There's no way that he would know_ _ **exactly**_ _what Mom and Gramps are going through… but that will have to wait. Get your priorities straight. This man, the headmaster of Beacon Academy, is willing to help pay for Mom's apartment and Gramps' medical bill, all at the small price of a simple 'yes'. But… why?_

Watching the gears turn in his head, Ozpin politely waited for his answer. Wrought with mild confusion, another question arose. "You… You're willing to do that?"

"Only this one time will I offer you a chance to join my school. Although a test is required for initiation, I can make an exception for you," he said with a wave of his hand.

Azure quirked a brow in response. "How would you do that?" Despite knowing that accepting the headmaster's offer was the most affordable way to help his grandfather, he tested the headmaster's resolve. Still, Professor Ozpin kept his composure.

"I have my ways," the headmaster answered. Azure suddenly began to glare at him from behind his glasses.

"But why? Why me? I'm not a Huntsman, and you've seen the trouble I had to go through to just take down two guys. I'm…" he took a shallow breath and calmed himself down. This was not going as well as he thought it would. He glanced at the pavement below and continued. "I'm not the strongest guy around. I just know facts. If I were to be a Huntsman, I'd probably be the weakest Huntsman you'll ever know."

"While you _are_ undoubtedly weaker than many of my students…"

"Hey, aren't you supposed to be recruiting me?" Ozpin effortlessly ignored the boy and continued.

"... Not every battle can be fought with strength alone, and not every war can be won by overpowering your opponent. Azure, I believe you know what I'm asking of you."

A brief pause sat between them before Azure casually asked, "You want my brain?"

Ozpin smiled at the simplicity and innocence in his response. "Your deductive abilities. To be frank, I believe we are in need of them."

"And if I decline?"

"Then we part ways."

His reply was curt. "Then I decline." Azure turned towards the direction of the apartment.

"Then may I ask what your purpose here is?"

Azure stopped in his tracks. "What? I thought this when we 'part ways'," he said with an exaggerated, arching wave of his hand that mimicked Ozpin's.

Professor Ozpin stared at the young teen, raising an eyebrow. Azure grumbled at the fact that he had to elaborate. "Look, there are innocent lives that don't deserve to be in this world – innocent people that are out there fighting a war they can't survive."

"Hmm…" The professor began to think to himself.

"I'm declining your offer because I can't conform to the thought of Huntsman and Huntresses giving their lives up like that. It just feels so wrong."

The headmaster's curiosity peaked for just a moment. The feeling was even further enhanced since it was his students - his children - in question. "So why are _you_ fighting then?"

"I'm fighting because I want to help people, but I don't want anyone innocent to be dragged into this battle. Sorry if I sound a little selfish, but I don't appreciate the academies' decisions on letting _innocent children_ slay monsters. I don't care if they chose to fight for the same cause; I've seen what's out there, and they don't deserve what this world has in store for them. That includes my family. I have to keep them safe too. You should understand that, professor. You've got a family of your own you need to protect."

The headmaster was silent. He seemed understanding of Azure's plight, and he sighed somewhat reluctantly. "Very well. If that is what you wish to do, then I have no intention of stopping you." Professor Ozpin began to walk away.

"Thanks for understanding."

"However," Professor Ozpin spoke, looking over his shoulder, "If there is anything bothering you, head for Beacon Academy. Do not hesitate to ask for assistance if something may ever happen."

The headmaster finally left. An eerie sense of peace calmed the teen, but he somewhat felt the urgency in the headmaster's voice as his words echoed in his mind.

* * *

The Midnight Inn, Room 117…

Upon entering his mother's apartment, Azure was greeted by a formidable force of nature. He froze in place when he spotted his mother glaring down at him. "I… uh… err…" He was speechless.

Rather than scolding him, Claire walked towards the kitchen.

"Um… I can explain?" Azure tried to reason. His mother ignored him, and she returned with a wetted towel. The smell tickled Azure's senses. _Alcohol?_ Before he could react, his mother parted the tears in the sleeve and forced the towel onto the cut.

"Ow – ow – ow – OW! THAT SMARTS!" he screamed.

"Oh, stop whining already. You're just like your father," his mother said with a small smile. Azure frowned as his mother finished applying alcohol the wound. "There. That wasn't so bad."

"Speak for yourself."

"Hmm? What's that? You skinned your elbow? Let Mommy fix that."

"I-I'm alright, Mom! No need to worry! Thank you!" Azure forcefully bowed, keeping his distance from his mother. Claire laughed, and she let him be. She walked over to his bedroom and opened the door. "You know, if you wanted to sneak out, the least you could've done was close the window and turn off the light. I think you're losing your edge, Azu." The light pouring out of the room only justified her critique.

 _Ah… right… I didn't compensate for that…_

After a beat of silence, Claire approached her child. "So, what did you find?"

"'What did I find'? Heheh. What do you mean?" Azure feigned ignorance. The headmaster was right – he was never a very good liar. His mother frowned, giving him a questionable look. Azure cracked. "Alright. When I was out shopping, I came across some professor. We talked, and then he left – but that was because something was watching us. I went to investigate, and I found this."

Azure withdrew the lynx Faunus' hair and the notebook with the drawings in it and presented them to his mother. "When I found out what this can do, I followed the lead. Then I found White Fang members, but they looked so different than how you and Dad described them. I gave them the emblem, but they knew. They knew I was studying them. They sent assassins after me, and… yeah, that professor showed up again. He offered me a place in Beacon. I declined… despite his willingness to help our situation…"

His mother was silent. The expression on her face told him that she had listened but was lost, shocked, or both.

"Hey… I was being selfish, wasn't I? Of course I'd say yes, but I just can't stand Huntsmen and Huntresses. All, if not most of them... they don't deserve war."

Claire ruffed his hair a bit before embracing him. "Why would you say that? I think you acted appropriately."

Azure lifted his head. "Huh? But what about Gramps?"

"Azu, it's alright to stand by your beliefs, even if that means sacrificing something important to you."

"… What if I want to cherish that important something?"

"Sometimes rules will have to be broken for you to pursue what you truly wish to do. Don't dwell on it now. One day, this will all make sense," she smiled. The sheer power behind the gesture and her words caused Azure to avert his gaze.

"Hmph. That's not fair at all."

She let him go and patted his shoulder. "Too bad~", she laughed. "Now go to bed, or I'm going to get the alcohol again."

"I have no other injuries to heal."

"I can make one."

Azure glared at his mother. In response, Claire continued to smile innocently. "You're acting scary, so I'm going to bed," he said reluctantly. Once he left his mother's line of sight, the woman giggled to herself. He truly was just like his father.

* * *

Morning came, and Azure's internal clock forced him awake before his mother had woken up. He turned to his desk with a pen in his hand. A minute later, he placed a note on the counter just before leaving the apartment.

Vale's docks were crowded by several tens of people for every airship that departed and arrived. Making sure that his head was low to keep his presence discreet, which mostly backfired, he took a step towards the airship that had most recently landed, but froze as the vehicle's bay opened. It was not the sheer amount of people leaving the Bullhead that gave him pause. It was his intention that gave way to hesitation. What he was doing was brash and on the spur of the moment, but he would have it no other way. Theories were his strongest suit after all – not 'plans'.

He boarded the Bullhead after steeling his nerves. No amount of electricity would force them to move. This was his battle, after all, and an affair such as this required ample concentration. He sat with his back hunched, staring at the floor under his feet. With nothing better to do, he thought. He theorized. The trip would take a while – nothing more than an hour, but that was enough time to journal his thought process. Surely he hoped that his notes would not become a jumbled mess by the end of it. Beacon Academy was not far from the docks. If his muscles could endure the pain of writing at his mental pace, he could allocate volumes of notes by the time he arrives, but who could possibly write that fast? No one he could think of. In the end, he withdrew his notebook and opened it where his Faunus-eared bookmark had been inserted.

Inevitably, the Bullhead's doors shut with a thick, metal clap. The airship had not even left the station, and the boy had already documented half of the page with notes and ramblings. If the passengers did not see his eyes, they most definitely heard his dejected sigh. Today was going to be a long day.

* * *

 _A/N: Hello. This is Qrow_

 _First off, I want to thank you all for viewing this fanfic. A special thanks goes to followers 7Artemis7 & KnighteyNighteyKnight; thanks for deciding to follow the story. To be honest, it is my very first one. I hope you guys are liking it so far. I have elaborate plans for it in the near and possibly far future._

 _For those who are curious, this fic will not contradict the events of the canon universe, so there will be no time paradoxes whatsoever. Instead, it will run parallel to the canon series with even more canonical characters appearing in the future._

 _For information on the OCs, check my deviantart page and look in my gallery for Ashes to Ashes. The link to it should be on my profile page. Feel free to visit. And do not be afraid to leave a review on either site. It helps me become a better writer/artist to better entertain you all._

 _Lastly, I will try my best to formulate an update schedule, but, if worse comes to worst, expect a monthly schedule. And, with that, I will see you all in the next chapter._

 _Ciao~_


	3. Ch3: Guardian Angel

_RWBY belongs to the wonderful Roosterteeth and Monty Oum._

* * *

Chapter 3: Guardian Angel

Beacon Academy...

Time was not of the essence. Experience was also a fickle concept, aiding only those who have it. For Azure, being an outsider gave him zero experience with how fast a Bullhead moved. He sighed, looking down at the page and a half of finished documentation. That would at least be what he had hoped the others would recognize the mess as. What was supposed to be a clean documentation turned into a slew of notes and ramblings. It was expected, but the time constraint on the trip as well as his thought process in general made his notes far messier than intended.

The airship docked at the platform leading into Beacon Academy's courtyard. The structure was certainly a marvel to behold. From the marble craftsmanship lining the architecture to the monumental tower before him, the academy grounds were shining in the Fall sun's rays. The courtyard was equally impressive with its foliage parted by the pristine stone path leading to the statue and academy entrance in front of him.

 _Alright. Now where's Ozpi - wait..._ Azure glanced at the scenery surrounding him before turning back to the vacant cliff. "Where is everyone?" he pondered in a hushed voice. To his surprise, the campus was nearly empty. Surely breakfast had passed, but not everyone had classes at the same time, right? He took a few steps forward before noticing the first human he had seen thus far on the campus. He rushed over to him, calling out "Hey! Just a moment!"

The man in the white button down shirt and yellow tie combo turned his head almost too quickly. It was fortunate that his neck had not snapped upon answering the boy. "Yes? Do you need assistance by any chance?"

"Y-yeah, can you-"

Before Azure could finish, the man studied him at unfathomable speeds, zooming around the boy in a green blur, all while adjusting the spectacles on his face. "Wait a minute. Wait just a minute! School has not started yet, and I believe that _your_ face has not once warped a desk's surface after my final exam." He quickly leaned forward, lowering his glasses as he asked, "Are you, by chance, a visitor?"

"Umm, y-yeah. Kind of... Yes?" he stumbled. Just a few minutes ago, he pondered whether or not his muscles could write at his brain's pace. Now he found a worthy competitor, albeit via oral communication.

The man shot straight up after finishing his inspection. "Excellent! Well then, I am Doctor Oobleck. Now what is it that you are looking for in this fine establishment?"

"I'm looking for Ozpin. This _is_ Beacon, right?"

Oobleck stared at Azure, eyes dancing between the school and the boy. In Azure's defense, being haphazardly studied by a man with wild, unkempt hair and attire can make one question if they are at their true destination. "You're joking, right?"

Azure let out a light chuckle. "Nope. Unless you're a professor, of course."

" _Doctor_ ," the professor/doctor corrected with a stern look that caught Azure off guard, "And, yes, I do work here if that is what you were implying. Now if it is the headmaster that you are looking for, I can guide you to his office if you may follow me. Quickly now. There is not a moment to waste."

Before Azure could respond or even thank the doctor, he vanished in a green blur. Fortunately, the wind was the only lingering guidance that remained, and it lingered just long enough for him to get his bearings. He followed Oobleck into the main hall of Beacon Academy, where the distant chatter of the students who remained seemed to weakly resonate in his ears.

The journey was relatively silent, mainly due to Azure concentration on the task at hand and the absence of Oobleck's physical presence. However, once he finally caught up with the doctor, he stared at the elevator in silence. Realizing that Azure was not going to move, Oobleck spoke as slow and clear as he could so that the boy heard his exact words. "That is the elevator to Professor Ozpin's office. Go to the highest floor and he should be there. With that, I bid you farewell." Again, the doctor zoomed out of sight and almost out of mind. Apparently, classes for the new year have not started. That would explain the current lack of students. The doctor, on the other hand appeared to gloss over the fact. Were unnamed visitors that common? _An expeditious doctor on a campus full of monster slaying children... and I was still surprised?_ Regardless, he was finally where he needed to be.

Prior to the lift signaling that it reached its destination, Azure heard a conversation from beyond the doors. He could only hear a woman's voice before they stopped speaking to presumably turn to the elevator. When the doors finally opened and granted Azure passage, he found himself standing in the warm and heated gazes of Ozpin and a blonde woman respectively. Judging from her monochrome attire, she was an assistant or secretary of sorts. Before the woman could open her mouth, Ozpin cleared his throat before speaking. Even he appeared pleasantly surprised by Azure's appearance. "Mr. Bliksem. May I ask what brings you here?"

The blonde turned her gaze to Ozpin. "You know him, professor?"

The headmaster nodded with his elbows planted on his desk, raising his folding hands to his face. "I met him yesterday while I was out."

"Yesterday? You mean when the operative was found?"

"Operative?" Azure spoke up out of sheer confusion. He was certain that the lynx Faunus was just a White Fang member like the other three.

The headmaster dismissed the term as if it were taboo. "We'll talk about that later, Glynda. For now, we have a visitor present." He leaned forward slightly, bringing Glynda's full attention to Azure. "Now, Mr. Bliksem, I don't suppose you are here to accept my offer, unless you've had a change of heart?"

Azure shook his head, both to regain his composure and answer the question at hand. "N-no. Still not interested. I gave your secondary proposal some thought, and I've decided to hand you my findings."

"Your 'findings'?" Glynda questioned. At this, Azure withdrew his journal from his coat pocket and casually waved it at them. "Yep. Everything I learned from that little encounter last night. It's all here. Feel free to keep it indefinitely."

Glynda approached Azure and received the journal. She eyed the rather thick cover of the book and opened it to the bookmarked page. An exuberant cheetah Faunus stared back at her, not returning the confused and partially embarrassed look on the professor's face. A hand deftly snatched the bookmark away faster than lightning itself, and Azure tucked the item into his pocket. If not for the scowl and reddened cheeks, the professors would not have known that Azure himself was also embarrassed. "Uh... Yeah. So, that's that. Heheheh." After his nervous chuckle, he muttered under his breath, "I should probably get going now," and turned to the elevator.

"You don't want to keep this?" Glynda asked after glancing over the notes. There was much more than first-hand research on the operatives. Schematics and equations littered the margins of his earlier pages. All in all, the journal appeared to be more personal than intended, but Azure shook his head. "No, it's fine. I'll be working elsewhere anyway. Consider it thanks for, well, bailing me out and showing me where the grocery aisle was? Heheh."

"And you're certain that you are okay with this?" Ozpin asked, "Now would be a better time than ever if you need assistance."

Azure knew what he was asking. Truly, the man had a golden heart beneath his dusty, grey hair. He turned halfway to the two. "I gave my reason, Ozpin, and I'm sticking to it. This place just isn't for me... despite the mass arsenal of weaponry that's said to be here..." the boy sighed reluctantly but caught himself before he trailed off. "B-besides that, I can't stay here. Sorry."

The headmaster nodded solemnly. "No need to apologize, Mr. Bliksem. I'm grateful that you've decided to aid us in the very least. Perhaps our paths may cross again?"

 _... I doubt it..._ "I don't know. I'm not one for plans - just theories. The future's not crystal clear, so I can't really say, y'know?"

"Indeed," he replied with a warm smile. "Then may the future brighten for us both."

Although the headmaster had intended to end the conversation, the boy froze in place like a statue. His face had straightened, and his brow furrowed. "... Was that a pun?"

Considering the fact that the three were currently on the _Beacon's_ grounds, the headmaster gave the question some thought. "That... was not my intention. Nevertheless, stay safe, Mr. Bliksem."

"Likewise."

Finally dismissed from Ozpin's office, Azure motioned towards the elevator. He must not have noticed the lift leave his current floor, for it dinged before he could even press the button. The doors parted horizontally, and out came a relatively surprised student with white hair and an eyepatch. Her right, amber eye went wide the moment she noticed Azure standing before her, obviously expecting anything and anyone other than a homeless-looking teenager younger than herself.

Before she could speak up, Azure backed away from the doors to give her some walking room. "E-excuse me." He rushed past her when she stepped into the office, and he pressed the button that led him to the ground floor - not the 'first floor'. The doors closed shut, leaving a rather confused student in his wake.

"... Professor Ozpin, who was that?" she asked, turning to the headmaster.

Ozpin's response was as simple as it was mysterious for the girl. "A rather brilliant informant, Ms. Blanc."

"... He... he lacks his uniform," she noted, still befuddled by the situation as a whole. There was only so much Ozpin was capable of hiding, and though he was quite talented at it, simple questions and observations drew out more information than the more complex ones. This was no secret, especially to Hunter. "... Did something happen, professor?"

"Nothing of note, to be honest. As for the boy..." A slight pause echoed momentarily. "... He is an ally of an old friend. I simply called him here to relay information." It was a blatant lie, but Ozpin knew that Azure would have appreciated it if he remained out of sight and out of mind. "Now, may I ask what brings you here?"

 _... Of course. One question for another._ "... I was curious about the mission. Has anyone else scouted the outskirts of Mountain Glenn?"

Hearing this, Glynda shared a glance with Ozpin and stepped forward. "I believe that lunchtime is approaching. I advise that you make haste; an empty stomach does no one any good."

Hunter retreated slightly. "... Professor Goodwitch, please. I need to know. I have a _right_ to know."

Glynda halted, and she looked towards the headmaster. With a wistful sigh, Ozpin lowered his head and shut his eyes. "Mountain Glenn is currently off limits to freshmen. The upperclassmen have also been notified of its current status, though they have been warned to not trespass into that area without caution. That is what Glynda and I have agreed upon, and I do not intend of revoking that decision. Until further notice, the site will remain under heavy surveillance."

"'Further notice'? That won't fix anything!" she fumed, baring her teeth at the headmaster. Both he and Glynda were taken aback by the response, watching her quietly as the cogs and gears within the room churned. The moderate silence resonated in her ears, and, seeing that both professors were observing her silently, she forced herself to calm down and stand with her back straight. Her eye fixated on the green glass floor she stood on. The last thing she wanted was to threaten anyone again. "... I'm... I am sorry. I did not mean to-"

"It's alright, Hunter," Ozpin calmly reassured her, "You're still recovering; it is only natural for you to have such an outburst given the circumstances."

Hunter nodded solemnly. Although she kept her gaze away from theirs, she noticed the journal being held in Glynda's hand. She still did not raise her eye to theirs, but she lifted her head slightly to acknowledge the book's presence. "... Professor Goodwitch? Is that journal new? You have been holding it for quite some time now."

Glancing at the journal in question, Glynda set it atop Ozpin's desk. "This isn't important. What _is_ important is your health, young lady. Go downstairs and eat something before you get sick."

When Hunter hesitated to move, Glynda opened her scroll. "Hmm. Professor Mu appears to be free at this time. Perhaps I should contact him-"

"U-understood! I'll go and eat right away, Madame!" Hunter bolted for the elevator. Rather than pressing the button and waiting for the lift to arrive, she materialized a glowing feather in her hand and threw it at the doors. A portal tore open, and she darted through it and closed the portal from the other side. Being the combat instructor in Beacon, Glynda could not help being mildly amused at how the girl managed all of that in a span of three seconds. Then a thought occurred to her. _Madame?_

She glanced at Ozpin, who's face revealed that they had shared the thought. He casually shrugged in response, took a sip from his mug, and pulled the journal closer.

* * *

Hunter left her room, leaving another feather on the floor. Even though she was simply heading to the cafeteria, there was rarely ever a time to lower one's guard completely.

She entered the rather spacious cafeteria, sitting at the table she preferred since her first year. Not many students remained on campus grounds after finals, and whoever did was spread throughout the academy. With Beacon's student body so dispersed, it was difficult to not feel the emptiness in the halls. For Hunter, it felt even heavier. Her only saving grace was one of the only teams who knew her plight.

A tall pair of brown ears were caught out of the corner of Hunter's eye. Her face lit up as a rabbit Faunus entered her cone of vision. The Faunus glanced about, presumably amazed by how somber the cafeteria was as well. That was when she saw Hunter, and the girl mimicked the expression. She waved at Hunter as she approached, and a second figure arrived just as the Faunus turned towards the lone Huntress.

"Hunter! How are you?" the rabbit Faunus exclaimed, taking the seat in front of Hunter.

"... I am fine, Velvet," Hunter replied with a nod to Velvet. She then turned her attention to the figure following the Faunus, a student with brown hair, a beret, and dark shades. Nodding to her as well, Hunter greeted her. "Good morning, Coco."

"Morning, Hunter." Coco dropped into the seat on Velvet's left. "Hey, the eyepatch is looking pretty cool now. Have you been styling it yourself?"

Given that the eyepatch was directly over her left eye, there was little Hunter could effortlessly do to take a glance at it. Nevertheless, she shrugged nonchalantly. "... I may have embroidered it once or twice. Is it really that noticeable?"

Coco deadpanned. "Hunter. It's literally on your face everyday."

"... Sorry." Hunter glued her eyes to the table.

"D-don't worry about it!" Velvet cheered as she purposefully shoved Coco aside, much to the latter's displeasure. "It looks wonderful. I mean, it must have been difficult with the bad eye, right?"

The Huntress in question rose her head slightly. "... Actually, the eye is not as bad as people make it seem. It is healed, but I am afraid I am not too fond of it."

"Really?" Coco half-grumbled as she glared daggers at Velvet. To this, Hunter begrudgingly nodded.

"If it's okay with you, can we take a look?"

'Yes' was an easy enough answer. It was verbal, and it was positive. Not many negative repercussions came from a simple yes. This one was different. When Hunter reached for the hard leather eyepatch, grazing along its white and amber material to undo the clip behind her left ear, a surge of pain shot up her spine. She winced, and she quickly shook her head. Velvet's hand patted hers.

"Y-you don't have to show us if you don't want to," she said in a comforting tone, "Just make sure that you're ready when the time comes, okay?"

Hunter nodded again. "... Yeah. Thanks, Velvet."

Coco slid closer to the duo, flipping a card of her purse and placing it on the table. "Listen, Hunter. To cool your head and help you relax, I thought it'd be awesome to go to a shooting gallery next month." She slid the card closer to Hunter for her to read it thoroughly. "They're planning an event for the night the Signal graduates are initiated into Beacon. I was kind of hoping that you could join Fox and I. We'll be participating to win the grand prize: A coupon to Maple Springs!"

 _... Maple Springs? The clothing store?_ Hunter smiled weakly at the offer. "... Sorry, but I do not think I should participate. I would not want to rob you of a Maple Springs coupon."

The table shuddered and cracked under the weight of the purse Coco slammed on top of it. "Cute. You think you can out-gun _me_? I've always liked that competitive side of yours."

Because she was seated, it was difficult to lean back far enough to show surrender. Beads of sweat trickled from Hunter's face as her smile transformed from polite denial to quivering nervousness. "I-I did not mean anything of the sort. You are d-definitely the better shot of the three of us."

"I've always liked that modest side of yours too." Coco sneered.

"Coco!"

Velvet's voice would have drawn their attention if it were not for the table that snapped under the weight of Coco's purse. Like thunder, it echoed loud enough for the three of them to immediately freeze and synchronize their fear.

 _Professor Goodwitch is going to kill us._

* * *

Dormitory Rooftop...

Narrowly escaping a combat instructor was no easy feat, but they were already on the ground level with a student who could summon portals. In spite of this, Hunter noted the fact that Glynda was keen when it came to locating her. "... We only have a few minutes before she catches wind," Hunter explained, catching her breath every now and then.

"Y-yeah," Coco sat down on the roof to gather her bearings. "Sheesh. I always thought rehabilitation softens people up, but you've still got it."

Hunter groaned. "... Thanks for reminding me."

The ashen-haired student sat beside Coco, and Velvet sat on the fashionista's left. "Let's not dwell on that right now. Hunter, you're not joining them next month?"

Shaking her head, Hunter brought her knees to her chest. "... I was told to remain here. My sessions have not ended, and I believe my most recent outburst may have added a day or two to my schedule."

"Oh."

"Sounds rough, buddy."

Velvet lightly shoved Coco again, causing her to bump into Hunter. Instinctively, Hunter shoved Coco back at Velvet. The pattern stopped before it could even begin when Coco held her ground against Velvet's shove. She laughed at her teammate's attempts, and only howled louder when Velvet gave up altogether.

After a minute of silence, Hunter spoke up. "... How are Fox and Yatsu doing?"

"They're alright. Yatsuhashi decided to stay in Beacon and actually study."

Coco cringed at the word 'study'. "H-hey, I study! How do you think I passed those finals?"

"I can think of many ways how you passed the finals."

"Yeah. Studying, studying, and studying."

Their bickering continued for some time. Hunter tuned out after another minute had gone by, focusing her attention on the tower that housed Ozpin's office. That queer sensation in her gut returned. _... Mountain Glenn was quarantined because of us, but why is it that no one has been sent to search the area? Are we abandoning the mission?_

Her eye drifted to Vale, and Ozpin's words rang in her head once more. _... 'A rather brilliant informant, Ms. Blanc.' That kid is one of the headmaster's 'brilliant informants'? I do not want to believe that._

 _... No. I will not - not after everything that has happened. Professor Ozpin would never neglect something so urgent and hazardous. He is hiding something from me, and that 'informant' is the only one outside of Beacon who knows what the headmaster knows. I just need to find him._

"Remnant to Hunter!" Coco called out, waving her hand in front of her face.

Hunter reflexively recoiled, relaxing when she realized that she had been staring off into the distance. "... My apologies. I was lost in my train of thought."

"Happens to the best of us, but Velvs and I are going back to check on Fox and Yatsuhashi. Wanna join?" she asked, thumbing back to the door leading downstairs. Velvet had already gotten to her feet and brushed her box off.

"... Sure."

"That adventure will have to wait, I'm afraid."

The girls jumped at the familiarity of the sudden voice. When they turned towards the only door leading downstairs, they saw one very frustrated professor glaring at them with her wand in her hand. They could have sworn that steam was billowing out from her nostrils.

"Ah! Professor Goodwitch!" Coco stood at attention. "How nice of you to-"

"Do _not_ try that with me, Ms. Adel!" Glynda fumed. "Breaking school property is one thing, but running from your responsibilities is unacceptable!"

Velvet bowed to Glynda. "I-I'm sorry, professor. It's just that we haven't seen Hunter in so long! Between the excused courses and rehabilitation, our time with her was always cut short, and-"

"Save it for later, Ms. Scarlatina."

The Faunus silenced herself immediately. Glynda looked at the three of them before exhaling all of the tension she had built up. "I'm not mad at any of you," she explained contently, "I understand your feelings and reasons behind fleeing, but you are Huntresses. It is better to own up to the consequences of your actions instead of running from them."

Coco sighed reluctantly. "You're right." She then leaned over to Velvet and whispered, "I actually cheated on Oobleck's final."

Ignoring the disappointed look on Velvet's face, Hunter stood to her feet. "... So there is no punishment for this?"

"Well, there is no _immediate_ punishment..." Glynda seemingly paused at the perfect moment. Hunter's scroll beeped, and the girl slid open the device to find a new message in her inbox. When she accessed the inbox, her face went from curious to utter disgust.

'Heya, Hunter! I hear you've been breakin' stuff! Nice job, but Good Old Glynda's ordered me to give you a stern talking to. Head down to my office tomorrow, and remember: shoes off the carpet! See ya then. ~Professor Mu'

She groaned at the punishment. For her, it was quite the price to pay for a table that her friend broke. Hunter hung her head low, muttering "Just kill me now..."

* * *

Hunter's Room...

"Sorry for getting you in trouble, Hunter."

"... There is no need to apologize, Velvet. It was fun while it lasted." Hunter's words could not have sounded more depressing. _She's really not looking forward to speaking with Professor Mu_ , Velvet laughed internally.

Coco patted her shoulder. "Cheer up, Hunter. It's just a meeting with Mu."

" _'Just a meeting'_." she repeated in monotone.

Velvet leaned closer to Coco and whispered, "Maybe we should be heading back now." Coco agreed with a nod, and she looked back at Hunter. "We're going to head back now. You take care of yourself, okay?"

Finally shaking off her mild depression, Hunter gave them a weak smile. "... Of course. I will hopefully see you after my talk with... _him_."

The girls laughed, and Hunter could not help but join them. Despite the antics Coco and Velvet provided and the imminent punishment, the day was far more enjoyable and eventful than most days. Some would even say that it was refreshing.

When Coco and Velvet left Hunter waving from the door frame, Hunter's expression warped. Her smile faded, and she frowned as her eye narrowed. _... Next month. That gives me this entire month to think of a plan,_ she thought as she tightened her grip on the card in her hand.

 _... Vale is not as safe as it used to be. Even if Coco and Fox are heading out, many Huntsmen and Huntresses would be too occupied with school respond to danger immediately. The VPD can help, but, if Professor Ozpin expects_ them _to still be a growing threat, I need to prepare myself. I need to find that 'informant' of Professor Ozpin's._


	4. Ch4: Playing with Fire

_RWBY belongs to the wonderful Roosterteeth and Monty Oum._

* * *

Chapter 4: Playing with Fire

One Week Later…

Fall was upon the kingdom of Vale. The Huntsmen and Huntresses that had graduated from Signal were finally free of their duties as students of that establishment, for their future was guaranteed elsewhere. The four major academies of Remnant had called them to action, and many students were accepted. Those who were accepted into Beacon celebrated their victories with family and friends. There were, however, many students who were accepted into Beacon from the surrounding kingdoms - some noble, and some not so noble. Regardless, the airships overhead signaled their arrival. They had only a few weeks to prepare before they were called onto Beacon's campus, and there was no better way than to first arrive in Vale.

The ships docked at the station. Their whirring engines calmed themselves, and the doors slid open. A wave of people wandered out in pairs, groups, and families, carrying luggage that held their more valuable and precious belongings.

Out of the crowd, one youth, not a Huntress nor a member of any friendly or familial circles in Vale, walked out from the airship. Her red and black, sleeveless yet hooded jacket swayed in the wind, hindered only by the bag slung over it and the red embroidered cheongsam with a heart emblem stitched into its fabric. Her large, red and grey gloves and boots would almost be considered comical if it were not for the noticeable capsules of Dust in each article of clothing. She tugged at the bag, adjusting it to a more comfortable position before staring up at Vale, eyes literally green with envy.

"Best vacation ever! I'm calling it," she exclaimed, spinning towards the suited man carrying the remaining five briefcases - three of which belonging to the girl. He huffed as he finally pushed against the crowd, coming face to face with the young lady.

"... With you here? Hardly..." With another huff, he frowned at her. "You're the devil."

"And you're my servant!" she noted while pointing at the man. "We had this conversation before, Clover."

Clover let out a defeated sigh. "Why am I always stuck with you?" he muttered under his breath.

"You said something?"

"N-nothing, Ms. Heart!" he saluted before barely catching the luggage that nearly slipped from his grasp. Stumbling forward, he caught his balance and saluted a second time, much to the girl's amusement. "Why so uptight? Sonara is just fine, doofus. We're in Vale, not our house."

"R-right..." Clover gave up trying to argue with her. It would only result in more headaches. He walked forward, struggling but succeeding to carry the weight of Sonara's luggage. "Nevertheless, we've safely arrived... without any incidents, surprisingly enough. Sonara, would you kindly hand me the address to the apartment?"

A moment of silence swept by, broken only by the airship leaving the station. Sonara put a hand on her hip as she stared back at the departing vehicle in silence. Another beat went by, and Clover asked again with more force. "The paper, Sonara? Your parents paid for an apartment complex for you to stay in, and it wouldn't be time efficient to-"

"Missed your chance, buddy," she said with a shake of her head, "It's heading back to Mistral."

"WHAT?" Clover spun around, watching the airship take off in midair. His jaw must have unhinged, for it hung for a straight minute before Sonara patted his back.

"You're too slow, Clover. We need to work on your reflexes."

He turned back to Sonara, steam billowing from his nose. "Y-you left it on the airship? How irresponsible could you be? You're supposed to be a Huntress! Where's your common sense?"

Not a second passed before she replied by blowing a raspberry and gesturing something akin with shooting oneself in the temple.

Clover facepalmed. "Four years of training... all out the window..."

"I think you meant 'Four years of training... all sent back to Sanctum...'"

When the man glared at Sonara, the girl took a cautious step back. "W-well, look on the bright side! There's a Beacon right over there!"

Nothing had to be said for Clover to drill the words 'I'll literally kill you' past her skull. Sonara kept her grin strong as she nervously rubbed the back of her red and green head of hair. "Yikes. Tough crowd. Look, how about we just walk around for a bit? The weather's nice. The birds are singing. The flowers are... well, they'll wilt in a couple of months, but they're in bloom. On days like these, we should really just forget the whole bit about me sleeping on the airship while leaving the papers on board, you know?"

"No."

 _That was quick!_ Sonara laughed to herself a little. "H-how about we catch a cab instead?"

Clover gave the idea some thought. It was sensible, and, with absolutely no idea of Vale's geology, it made the most sense. He finally cracked a smile. "... Yeah. Let's do that." He walked ahead of her. When he was out of audible range, she exhaled heavily before following him.

The taxi took the two deeper into Vale. Whereas Clover kept to himself and aided the driver, Sonara continued to oogle at the kingdom as a whole. It was apparent that she had a problem; everything was appealing to her. At times, she would even pester the driver, who must have seen the streets a dozen times too many to be excited. She did not care, however. It was her vacation, after all.

Upon reaching a landmark that appeared to be more of a central hub than the docks, Clover handsomely paid the man before hefting the luggage onto his arms and into his hands. Sonara pranced out of the cab and waved to the man. She could have sworn that he looked healthier before the drive. Perhaps he got carsick?

"Why is he driving if he's obviously carsick?" she questioned. Concern was evident in her voice, proving that she was at least as human as she was oblivious. "Oh man. I really hope he's okay." Clover did not bother answering her. Instead, he moved to the map in the middle of the park they stood in. He silently waved Sonara over. When she arrived, he dropped the briefcases that were in his hands and held them out to her. "Give me your hand, please."

Sonara understood what he was asking for her to do. She rolled her eyes and raised a hand timidly. "Alright. Make it quick."

He ignored her whining and wrapped his fingers around the frame of her palm and hovered his hand just above her olive skin. He closed his eyes, and the memories came back to him.

Scrying was not as difficult as it seemed, but the amount of information was taxing at times. Time was also a factor. If the event was too far in the past to recall, the scrier could take serious mental damage. Fortunately, it had only been two days ever since they had landed, and he found the memory he was looking for. Clover took a sharp breath when he returned to his senses, causing Sonara to panic. "Clover! A-are you okay?"

"Y-yeah... just winded. Nothing serious." He leaned against the board displaying the map of Vale and caught his breath, albeit slowly.

"I told you to make it quick. Now look at you!"

Clover held a finger up, catching the final few breaths of air he needed to calm his body. He then used said finger to tap a point on the map. "Commercial district. Apartment complex five. Room seventeen. It's quite the walk from here, but I can power through it."

The girl blinked several times before she fully processed the information. Clover could see that her internal processor finally shut down. _That should cool her down for a while._ He picked up the briefcases again and tapped Sonara's forehead. "Come on. We don't want to be late, do we?"

Another moment passed before she smiled warmly at her servant. "Have I ever told you how lucky I am to have you?"

"Several times, Sonara. Several times."

* * *

It was evening by the time the two settled in. Clover had set his two briefcases in his room before setting Sonara's down. Their bedrooms were across from each other, though they shared the kitchen and living space that connected to the hallway outside. In his opinion, the kitchen was plain but resourceful enough to keep Sonara happy. The living room, however, had a chair, a sofa, one table, and a television positioned in the corner nearest Clover's room. A thought had crossed his mind when he noticed the sofa, but upon bringing the briefcases to Sonara's room, he found her taking up the entirety of the sofa already. He was about ready to drop everything that he was doing to scold her when she craned her head to him and grinned. "You're too slow, Clover. Step it up."

He growled under his breath, briskly walking around the sofa and blocking the television. Sonara leaned as far as she could to the side, but to no avail. She threw her arms up in defeat. "Hey! I'm trying to watch TV!"

Clover got to one knee and brushed her bangs out of the way with his hand. He pressed his palm against her forehead, grimacing at the touch. She was boiling hot.

"Sonara, control yourself, please," he said, his tone more commanding than before.

She frowned at the sudden command. "What?"

"You're steaming. You've been heating up for a while now. Even that cab driver could feel it."

At this, Sonara's frown faded somewhat, and she averted her eyes. Clover continued, standing to his feet and crossing his arms. "I know how excited you must be. In fact, the scrying told me exactly how excited you are, but I'm just repeating what Sir Heart told you: 'Control your Semblance. If not for yourself, try keeping it under control for the sake of anyone within five to ten meters of your position.'"

She furrowed her brow a little and closed her eyes. She took in a deep breath before grinning at Clover. "Don't worry. I assure you that you will survive this vacation un-singed! I put my seal of approval on it!" she noted with a thumbs up.

"You forgot the firebombing. There will be no firebombing."

"I'm not a miracle worker."

"And the pranks?"

"Who am I? You? Save that for when we get back."

"Don't forget that one time in the sewers."

If she was cooled down before, steam began to rise from her cooled skin. She shot up from her position on the sofa. "You remembered? No one ever remembers that one time in the sewers! Not even me!"

Clover averted his gaze. "A-actually, I can't remember it..."

Just like that, her Semblance cooled again as she collapsed against the sofa. "Great," she pouted, "Guess we'll never be able to talk about that one time in the sewers ever again."

"I'm sure that it was just as dangerous as anything I've just mentioned." Clover dropped onto the sofa, crossing one leg over the other. "Which means that you can't do it in Vale, or Mistral and your father are going to have an issue."

"You're no fun."

"You are a living hazard. I need to keep you in check... which also means..." Clover dug in his pocket and unwrapped a sheet of paper given to him by Sir Heart. The family's seal kept the letter closed tight against its material. He handed it to Sonara for her to open it. "... I need to help you control your Semblance even though we aren't in Mistral for the time being."

Her face lit up, reddening as she read the letter allowing her to practice her mettle in shooting galleries and training seminars. Clover continued. "Beacon would've been an option, but the time for initiation has expired. We do understand your position on the matter, so it wouldn't have been an option either way-" He was caught off guard when her arms wrapped around his shoulders. For someone so short, she was uncannily powerful and quick.

"Dude! I love you guys so much! Thanks!"

"J-just don't... destroy the room... like you're about to do now!"

Sonara quickly retreated, gasping for air as she released him. "S-sorry! Sorry! Um... Ice cream! Do we have any ice cream?"

"Of course! I'll get it!"

"Hurry up!" she shouted as she closing her eyes while taking in deep breaths.

Clover dove behind the sofa, grabbing one of the briefcases he had set down. _It should be in here!_ He threw open the briefcase, finding... rocks?

"Why are there _rocks_ in your briefcase?" he screamed. Despite the severity of the situation, Sonara began howling with laughter. "R-remember when I said that you needed to work on your strength a long time ago? I thought now would be a perfect time!"

There was no point in arguing with her. Time was running out. He could see the red, mist-like energy flowing from her body. He threw open the second briefcase.

... More rocks.

 _You've got to be kidding me!_ he screamed internally. The look on his face made Sonara cry out in both pain and laughter. She was effortlessly reduced to a glowing ball of laughter rolling on the floor.

Clover tossed open the final briefcase, finally finding her belongings as well as emergency cups of ice cream. It was still cold to the touch - precisely what he needed at the moment. He tore open the plastic lid and kneeled to Sonara's level. "I'm not ready to die, so eat up, please!" He force fed her a spoonful or two before he noticed her calm down. After that, she willingly took the ice cream and took a few bites herself. A few giggles rang true, but she inevitably calmed down. The red mist subsided, and Sonara exhaled a cold breath of minty air.

Ever since he was assigned the task of looking after Sonara, Clover knew that he was either going to die horribly in a blaze of glory or be challenged by death around every corner. Although he was glad that his trial by fire has resulted in the latter for years, he kept his wits about him. As long as he was careful, nothing bad would happen. In fact, nothing too terribly destructive ever happened when he was on duty; and, for that, he was grateful.

He survived more than four years.

"... Are you _trying_ to kill me, Sonara?" he asked, clutching a rock in his hand. Granted, if Sonara's 'training' had worked, it would have cracked under the pressure, but the gesture was still just as strong.

Sonara laughed. "No! It's just a prank, silly! Besides, you lived. Isn't it thrilling?"

"After twenty-four hours and seven days a week, I can safely say that it's not thrilling and you're simply insane."

"Thank you!"

Giving up was definitely much easier than arguing with her. Clover exhaled, removing the last traces of instilled fear. He stood to his feet and took the briefcases full of rocks into his room, leaving Sonara on the sofa with her ice cream and television.

* * *

A few more hours passed before the girl found herself out of ideas. The room provided limited activities, and, given the nature of her Semblance, Clover would not allow her to leave without his oh-so-gracious supervision. There was, however, something that she could do.

"Hey, Clover," Sonara called, peering into his room from around the corner. The man was seated at the desk in front of the bed. He glanced at her for but a second before resuming his work on the Scroll. "What is it?"

"Wanna play a game?" she asked in a sinister tone.

Clover frowned at the question. "If the game involves me being shot at, trapped, hidden away, carrying an explosive, or all of the above, the answer is no."

Sonara mimicked his expression perfectly. "Of course we aren't playing any of those games. You just said that Daddy's going to be in trouble if I do anything outrageous here. So I was browsing through a few games..."

 _Here it comes._

"... and I decided that we should see who can eat the most ice cream before puking."

"No."

"The setting is all of Vale. We will inhale as much ice cream as we physically can."

"That's physically impossible."

"That's because no one's tried it before." Sonara approached him from the side. "Come on. I know that somewhere deep inside that psycho-brain of yours is a curious monkey Faunus! Do not lie to me!"

Clover's fingers ceased their typing, and he turned to Sonara with a blank expression on his face. "Do I look curious?"

"... Pfft! Y-you look so stupid! You're like..." Sonara quickly shifted from laughing to the same blank expression he wore. She then returned to laughing just as quickly. "See? That's how dumb you look!"

The man sighed, and he returned to his work. "Quit acting like you're twelve, please."

"Not until you quit acting like you're thirty! You're not an old man, Clover. You have a couple more years of youth left in you."

He swiftly flicked Sonara forehead. The action was too quick to even properly react to it. Her wince and whine was just a second too late. "It appears that you need to work on your reflexes more," he mocked with a wry grin. "And don't call me old. I'm twenty."

Sonara pouted, but her fury turned to sadistic joy as she backed herself towards the door. "Alright, Clover. I'll work on my reflexes. I just need to find a victi - I mean, sparring partner."

He immediately stopped everything that he was doing. Slowly standing to his feet, he cautiously approached her like she was a wild animal. "... Sonara, no."

"Sonara, yes." She rushed into the living room with Clover just behind her. If the man was just a lot slower, Sonara could have played with him a little longer. Alas, she was stopped before she could run him around the apartment indefinitely.

* * *

 _Bored... So very bored…_

Being forced to stay in one setting was one thing, but being forced to stay in one setting with someone who can catch you in a moment's notice was beyond inhumane. Furthermore, he was working! One would expect a man to be watching videos, writing stories, or doing something relaxing after entering another kingdom, but Clover was no such man. Was he even human? The question was pondered upon for some time before Sonara ultimately gave up. The vacation may have started off with a bang, but things definitely took a turn for the worst.

The girl flipped through several channels before settling on a more interesting one. It caught her attention almost immediately: 'Roman Torchwick behind Dust robberies?' She could care less about the title or the man. The fact was that Vale, despite looking amazing, was not pristine and clean. In retrospect, no place was, but only one thought crossed her mind in response to the news. _That guy's gonna ruin my vacation!_

She slid out of the sofa and glanced into Clover's room. The door was ajar, and a blue light was being emitted from the bed. It appeared that he was either working or phoning Sir Heart. Either action was a time sink for him. Taking care of Sonara caused bags to form under one's eyes after too long. He has been doing that exact thing for years. Experience meant nothing as long as she continued pestering him like she did. Besides, it was Clover. He could not do much to restrain her permanently.

With her conscience manually cleared of caution, Sonara slipped out of the window in front of the sofa. She forced herself to suppress her giggle fit as she scaled the building, reaching the ground in record time. She looked back up at the window and waved casually. "Brb, Clover~" She then ran off towards... somewhere.

Sonara had to admit that she was never good with directions. Memorizing landmarks was a step in the right direction, but painting over them always gave the impression that you would always recall that you were once there - especially if one were to paint 'Sonara was here' in red. The location she was heading towards currently - at least the location where she had hoped she was heading towards - was only identifiable via television screen, so for her to find that exact store immediately would be all too convenient.

She skid to a sudden stop when she realized that aimless running would get her nowhere. There were easier methods... more _interesting_ methods to finding someone.

The gloves that covered Sonara's hands churned. Similarly, her boots whirred. The belts of Dust in each article of clothing spun rapidly, selecting a single capsule: Fire for her hands, and Wind for her feet. She focused her aura into her gauntlets and boots, causing the Dust to activate. Fire erupted from the circular opening in her gauntlet, and wind violently gathered beneath the two openings in her soles of her boots. In seconds, she rocketed into the air, stabilizing herself just after passing the rooftops of several buildings. From that vantage point, she reeled back and propelled herself through the air.

What Sonara found was passed off as strange, but it was still lingered with her as she searched. The news mentioned that Torchwick was possibly behind the Dust robberies. _Robberies_. That meant more than one, and that was exactly what Sonara had learned. The odd factor surrounding it was that the stores were not congested in one area. It took minutes to find the next ransacked store after one had just been found. Granted, there was a pattern: Dust stores, but it made no sense as to why there were so many of them. In the end, this man, Roman Torchwick, would be the bane of her vacation's existence if he was allowed to walk freely. Rather, he was not allowed to walk at all.

When the night sky had finally begun to grow darker overhead, Sonara finally recognized one of the stores. It was not absurdly far from the apartment, and no one could be seen in its immediate vicinity. Sonara lowered herself to ground level, and she stood before the desecrated building. _I knew it was empty, but it's just... empty. Now, if I were a pile of Dust, where would they want to send me?_ Her eyes drifted towards the body of water that was not too far from the store. She gave the idea some thought before shaking her head. _No! Stop that. Only super-villains have underwater bases. You have to think harder._

Shuffling. Something moved behind her. Not too close, but close enough to hear. Close enough to feel with aura.

Sonara spun around, catching the glimpse of what appeared to be a Faunus in a black and white garb. When he saw her turn, he immediately slunk back into the alleyway he was hiding in. Only one thought came to mind. _Prey_.

"Stop right there, criminal scum!" Dashing forward, Sonara pursued the Faunus. He would have been faster if not for the girl's Dust-aided speed. She reeled back her fist and burst forward in a mad sprint. One punch was all it took to send the Faunus flying into the pavement. Like some sick joke, he crashed and stopped beside several other Faunus, all wearing a similar uniform, and Sonara laughed. "Daddy gave me permission to knock some heads," she stated proudly while cracking her knuckles. "So who's first?"

As confused as they were by the sudden challenger, they all stood at once, wielding weapons of various shapes and sizes. Sonara raised her fists, and she sprinted forward without warning. Her target, the largest Faunus out of the bunch, deflected her kick with his sword, glancing the blade's edge off the metal plating of her boot. He parried her next kick, locking her in place as his allies rushed her. In a feat of acrobatic expertise, she jumped, kicking off of his blade with both feet as the others' blades clashed against the stone floor.

She fell onto her shoulder blades and hands, curling back before launching herself forward. The Dust rounds in her boot swapped once more, and flames erupted from each limb as she spun in midair. "You know, this is kind of fun!" The Faunus had to shield themselves or be caught in the flames. "Aren't you having fun?"

Once she landed, her gauntlets swapped to a more chilling element of destruction. She pounced back towards the largest Faunus, focusing her strikes against his body. With each punch and jab, more and more wind was knocked clean from him. She was about ready to finish him before blocking the mace that was aiming for her head. The next attempted strike glanced off of a raised boot, and the one following after that was parried by her free hand. Using the momentum from the parry, Sonara flipped towards the ground, freeing herself from their attacks and breaking their guard.

"That was cool, but this one's colder!" She rose an icy fist, shattering the built up ice against the jaw of one of her assailants. "Off with your head!" Kicking off the other, and setting him ablaze in doing so, she reeled back a hardened fist of earth and rammed it into the mask of the largest Faunus. The veil hiding his face from sight broke, and he fell back against the ground.

The very air around her was waving. Wind pushed her back into the fray. Her shoulder tackled the flaming Faunus onto the ground, effectively putting the fire out. The remaining four charged her simultaneously, flanking from all sides.

She blocked three of the four attacks, taking a strike from behind her. She stumbled into the grasp of the Faunus before her. The others quickly recovered, yet, before she could be fully restrained, she bit into the man's arm. He released her at once, recoiling against the sharp pain. Sonara ducked under their strikes and swept their feet from underneath them with a wind-propelled kick. The three tumbled onto one another. Before they could situate themselves and stand up, a shadow loomed over them. Sonara giggled in amusement before stomping on the ground with her boot. The ground beneath them erupted, shooting upward as a pillar of concrete. "Fish out of water!" With three Faunus in midair, Sonara launched three bolts of fire, making contact with each attack. She happily cheered as the incapacitated bodies dropped to the ground. "Wooho! Three for three!"

Caught in her cheering, the remaining Faunus snuck up on the oblivious girl. He reeled back his sword, and a heavy chop followed suit. Sonara jumped at the sound, but, when she turned around, the Faunus had fallen. Where he once was, Clover stood with his hand straight, glaring down at the now unconscious Faunus. He let out an exasperated sigh. "White Fang grunts. I thought I was done with them."

"Clover! You came!" Sonara leapt towards her servant, wrapping him in a powerful hug. "That was so awesome! You've gotta teach me that one!"

The man cringed before screaming "S-Sonara! You're hot! HOT!"

Letting him go, she winked. "I know~"

"Shut up and take your food." He hurriedly gave her another cup of ice cream, which she gladly took to cool herself off. He dusted off his hands and thrust them in his pants pockets. "Now why are you here?"

"That's my question," she replied with a mouth full of ice cream.

Clover rolled his eyes. "Psychometry has its perks. Scrying the rocks you once touched wasn't hard after you alerted _everyone_ with your obnoxious flying."

"... Oh. I guess that's why that one guy was spying on me."

"Now. Why. Are. You. Here?" he demanded once more in his cold tone.

Sonara swallowed the remainder of the ice cream before answering, mostly out of fear. She nervously laughed. "Well, there was this broadcast about some robber, and I wanted to stop him from ruining my vacation. So I kinda ran off to deal with him, but I found these guys instead... or maybe they found me? I dunno, but I'm sorry?" she smiled, holding out her arms for a more mutual hug.

Clover narrowed his eyes. He eventually conceded defeat with a dejected sigh, hugging Sonara back with an arm. "It doesn't matter now. Just let the police handle the crimes. You aren't a Huntress."

"Wait!" Sonara abruptly let him go. Realization was evident in her emerald eyes. "You're a fully-fledged Huntsman! Why aren't _you_ knocking heads around?"

"I just graduated, Sonara. 'Fully-fledged' is a bit of an overstatement. Besides, I'm tasked with overseeing your activities, and I believe I don't have to tell you how taxing that alone is."

The girl smiled warmly at the taunt. "But you can vouch for me if I get in trouble for being reckless, right?"

Clover then gave her his own sadistic grin. He shook his head and walked away. "I have no power here, Sonara. Whatever you do, you accept the aftermath. Period."

"N-no way!"

"Yes way."

"That's not fair!" she shouted, chasing after him.

"It's totally fair."

"Stop repeating my dialogue with positive words!"

"Then stop altering my dialogue before I even say it."

"How can I do that? I'm not even a scrier!"

"You're right, Sonara. You're a parrot."

"Shut up! I can dismiss you, you know!"

"But you won't."

"... Pfft. Shut up, Clover."

* * *

Returning to the apartment was not difficult in the slightest, especially with Clover by her side. Once there, the girl readied herself for a night of unadulterated mischief, but, in her attempt to stay awake all night, she collapsed on the sofa. Despite being asleep, the she was still being quite the nuisance. Even in her sleep, she took up the entirety of the sofa. Moving her would simply wake her, so there was only one clear solution to the problem. The position admittedly looked uncomfortable, but Clover was certain that she would not mind remaining there for the night. Regardless, he threw the blankets from her room over her, and he returned to his desk.

 _'Sorry about that, Sir Heart. Sonara is safe and sound, of course. She simply felt the need to... test her mettle. Nothing too destructive occurred tonight, fortunately. I will mail the files and morning report when I wake, as per usual. Until then, I will take my rest for the night._

 _Take care,_

 _Clover McTwisp'_

He sent the final portion of the email, closing his Scroll and sighed as softly as he could to not disturb Sonara. Once he calmed himself, he withdrew the hair of the Faunus he knocked unconscious. Three scrying sessions would definitely show on his face in the morning, but he could care less. They were attacking Sonara. Although they had every right to, knowing that she was the one who attacked first, they were still involved in many nefarious deeds - some solved and some unsolved. So Clover rotated the hair between his fingers until he decided to finally steel himself and scry into the object.

If his expression could be graced with a word, it would be fear - complete and utter fear.


	5. Ch5: The Festival

_RWBY belongs to the wonderful Roosterteeth and Monty Oum._

* * *

Chapter 5: A spark, a flame, and a shadow walk into a festival...

Initiation Day...

Hunter kept her eye on the wall-mounted screen within the auditorium. It never occurred to her how long a year truly felt until said eye fell upon the new students. They almost looked like mere children to her. In fact, one of them was practically a child! The headmaster always worked in mysterious ways, but even Hunter could not think of a reason for him to accept the girl in red. Nevertheless, a calm wave of nostalgia blew by, reminding her of her freshman year.

Déjà vu also danced in her mind. She almost laughed in knowing that they will eventually make their way to the cliff that overlooked the Emerald Forest. She could even recall her own reaction to being launched into the canopy. "... Those days were fun."

"You were so scared back then!" Coco said with a laugh, "You didn't kill a single Grimm!" Like Hunter, the other upperclassmen that watched were swimming in nostalgia. At this point, they were practically drenched in it.

"... I do not know what you are talking about," she said with a pout. She turned her head away from Coco, who smiled sinisterly at her.

"You don't? Well, fortunately for you, I remember it quite vividly. All you did was shoot portals left and right, and when a Grimm would sneak up on you, you hid behind one of us!"

A small portion of the upperclassmen murmured with a few audible 'Oh's and 'Yeah, that was a thing's. Hunter's face flushed to a deep red as she hung her head low. "... I got over it..."

"She's not wrong, Coco," said the student towering above the rest of the students surrounding him, "Besides, reconnaissance is her talent."

Coco turned to the larger student and pointed. "Yatsu, I'm going to need you to stop taking her side."

Yatsuhashi shrugged in response, causing Fox to chuckle somewhat. Meanwhile, Hunter watched the screen. "... Hmm. Those two do not look like sisters," she noted as the group of freshmen gathered their supplies. They had finally reached the locker room after their breakfast in the cafeteria. Only a select few upperclassmen were allowed to give the large body of students a quick tour of Beacon's halls during the morning. The others, many of which had to return to campus the day before, had prepared themselves for what a tradition that was upheld every year.

Each year, the upperclassmen spent their first day back by watching the feed gathered by the cameras the staff set up around the academy and forest. It was not their job to evaluate the students. They were not even given hints as to what the headmaster was using as the relics. Rather, they were watching to cheer on the incoming freshmen. They knew how difficult the initiation could be, and there was nothing more they could do other than silently motivate the soon-to-be freshman teams of Beacon Academy.

Coco shrugged off Hunter's voiced opinion, but Velvet was the one to break the incoming silence. "Is that Pyrrha Nikos?" A few other voices chimed in - none as loud as Velvet's.

"... Is she known?"

"She won the Mistral regional tournament four times! Back to back! It's like having a celebrity in our school!"

"Whoa. Calm down, Velvs," Coco laughed as the Faunus cooled her jets. "You'll get a chance to meet her soon enough."

Velvet's ears drooped to the sides of her face. "W-well, I want to meet them all. There's nothing wrong with being excited to make friends with a person."

"Of course there isn't. We're here to offer support, after all... ouch..." Yatsuhashi's attention turned to the screen as a spear pinned the blonde boy to a locker. Whereas he and Velvet both felt a little sorry for the kid, Coco nudged Hunter's arm with her elbow. "I like them already."

* * *

The room echoed with still silence as the students approached the cliffside. The calm and pleasant nostalgia shifted into a sharp sense of awareness and knowledge. They all knew what was coming, and they knew that the Grimm, although a little clearer thanks to the staff, were festering. Hopefully, the freshmen would have encountered such beasts in their training prior, but one could only do just that: hope.

Hunter tightened her grip on her skirt, staring at the girl in red. She was far too young for this. However, the expression she wore was a confident one. Velvet patted Hunter's shoulder. "She'll be fine, Hunter."

After being given their instructions, they were launched, one by one, into the forest. Naturally, there were no cameras that could levitate in the sky. Drones were never an option either. The next scene that played out for them was the forest floor. On the bottom of the display, several other camera feeds were recording similar settings. No one had landed just yet. However, this was the least of Hunter's worries.

A minute later, gunshots rang out in the distance. Leaves fell, and wood was scarred. Then, in one of the feeds, a blur of black and red touched down on the soil of the forest. A cheer arose from the stands, and Hunter smiled in relief. _... Thank goodness._

Moments passed before the others landed, though the blonde boy was nowhere in sight. Given his initial flop on his landing strategy, the students were not too surprised.

Once the girl in red ran into the girl in white, a few Lien was begrudgingly passed throughout the room. Playful gambling was not part of the tradition, but it was always fun to guess the structure of an upcoming team. That being said, Hunter passed five Lien to Coco, who thanked her with a gracious yet mocking bow. However, when the girl in white walked away, a cacophony of snickers and disappointed groans played out.

Then she returned. Confusion settled in, but the upperclassmen thought nothing of it. The blonde was rescued from his position above the camera's field of view by the one known as Pyrrha, and they walked out of the scene.

The display shrank into line, and another camera's feed was shown. Two students, one with blonde hair and one with black hair, stood face to face with the disintegrating carcass of an Ursa between them. Several whistles pierced the silence, but Hunter was staring wide-eyed at the scene. "... They took down an Ursa?"

"There were two," Velvet explained, "It happened while one of the screens was enlarged. The other screens are still live." The Faunus pointed to the bottom row of live footage. It was large enough to make out the details of the footage, and, in one of them, the blonde boy and Pyrrha were traveling casually throughout the forest without much incident. In the other, the girl had just encountered a pack of Beowolves. The next screen displayed an entire team's worth of boys fighting off another pack of Grimm. The last screen was the most unbelieveable, however.

A male student had lost his weapons against a King Taijitsu. Hunter initially gasped at this, and she grew even paler when the Grimm lashed out at him with its fangs. The air in her lungs stilled when he warded off the attack with his aura. He wrenched and snapped the Grimm's fangs from its mouth, jamming one into its eye as he gathered his aura into one hand. He struck the fang, causing the tooth to seemingly vanish into the eye, and the Taijitsu's head burst into a cloud of black vapour. Those who were watching that feed cheered wildly. Hunter, on the other hand, was caught completely off guard. "... Incredible."

In a strange twist, the student appeared to not even require his weapons for the majority of the battle. He made quick work of the Taijitsu's second head, and, just as he finished, the girl in pink that had been chatting with him prior to the initiation appeared. Another partnership was made, and several more exchanges of Lien were performed.

Another screen enlarged as the blonde girl and raven-haired girl found the temple. They were not the first ones, however. In retrospect, they were one of the last few to obtain their relics. Regardless, they had finally claimed their objective.

Hunter must have neglected the other screens. Laughter ensued as the strangest events seemed to occur at the exact same time. Once the girls took their relics, the blonde boy was thrown miles into the air, and the girl in red had just jumped off a Nevermore of all things, leaving her partner on the giant Grimm. As impressively hilarious as fate was, this left the group of students with an avian Grimm and a Deathstalker, and things took a turn for the worst when the girl in red was attacked.

Pale energy sparked around Hunter's fingertips, but a quick hand closed the Huntress'. She turned and glared at Velvet, who shook her head. "Don't. They got this."

Despite the signals, Hunter relinquished the energy, though her form was still tense. "... I hope you are right."

Fortunately, the students understood the severity of the situation. After they temporarily crippled the Deathstalker and evaded the Nevermore, they took their relics and ran, but the Grimm eventually resumed their pursuit. Inevitably, they were caught between the two monsters... and they were separated. Hunter felt the need to try again - a little stealthier this time. To her surprise, however, the students worked cohesively. They stood their ground, fighting against the Grimm despite being thrust into two different teams.

The Deathstalker was the first to go, with its stinger detached and rammed into its body. Its body, along with the bridge it stood on, collapsed. The four students that eliminated it stood on the other side of the canyon, watching on as the remaining four students grounded and immobilized the Grimm. The girl in red, launched by the girl in white, sunk her scythe into the bird's neck, and she dragged the beast up the cliffside before decapitating it. As the Nevermore fell, the upperclassmen applauded the teams' successes. It was definitely a climatic event, especially for the young newcomers.

The teams, gathered back in the auditorium at Beacon, were formed a few hours later. For the duration of their time on the stage, the teams were treated like heroes. Hunter could almost feel a heavy weight lift from her shoulders when they returned. She looked towards team Velvet with a weary and exhausted smile, to which Velvet replied with a comforting smile of her own. "I told you they got this."

Hunter nervously laughed at the fact, but she stopped immediately when she noticed Fox sleeping in his seat with his arms over his head. "... Fox! Were you asleep the entire time?" Her voice, slightly drowned out by the roar of the student body, seemed to wake him, but only a little bit.

When Fox shrugged at the question, Yatsuhashi defended him. "He never doubted that they would succeed. It's surprisingly humble of him."

At this, Hunter sighed in defeat. "... Your intuition is still as sharp as ever."

Fox simply gave her a thumbs up before standing to his feet. The ceremony was just about over, and the students were dismissed to the cafeteria. Classes would begin the next day, so this left the veterans with enough time to grow acquainted with the newcomers. Coco and Fox, however, had different plans. As the latter left the auditorium with the crowd of upperclassmen, the former looked back to Hunter. "You sure you don't want to go to the range with us tonight? It'll be sweet - like hanging out with pals after a couple of years."

"... It has only been a month, and even that felt more like two weeks."

"It's a figure of speech."

"... Oh. Right." Hunter straightened her skirt as she stood to her feet. "I appreciate the invitation, but, like before I said, I will remain here."

"So you won't out-gun me, right?" Coco teased with a toothy grin. Hunter took as step back. "... N-no. Of course not. I just have to deal with Professor Mu again."

Coco's expression went from competitive to sour almost instantaneously. "Oh. That sucks."

"... Yes. Yes it does."

"Good luck with that." Coco quickly turned to the door and followed her team out. Velvet waved upon leaving the auditorium, and Hunter waved back. "... Of course. Good luck..."

Hunter remained in the auditorium for a little longer. She looked back at her hand, opening and closing her hand in deep thought.

* * *

Vale, Commercial District...

Looking out the window of the apartment complex, Sonara noticed the banners hanging throughout Vale. Signs directed at the nearby stores displayed the sales prices for ammunition, armor, and Dust. It was a brilliant maneuver, selling Huntsmen goods right after Beacon's initiation. However, the attention-getter was the shooting range. Aspiring Huntsmen and Huntresses, even those who are currently in Beacon, would be going to either party or win prizes. Without a doubt, it would be quite the event.

The redhead glanced back at her servant, Clover. He was still seated at his desk, typing away at his Scroll. Surprisingly enough, he had not tested her abilities as much as he usually did back in Mistral. Granted, the resources provided by Mistral and her father were reinforced and resistant to her Semblance, but it almost seemed like Clover himself was taking a vacation alongside her.

Sonara approached him calmly, pointing at one of her gauntlets. "I'm almost outta juice. Can I go shopping?"

"No, but _we_ can go shopping," he corrected. He closed his Scroll and stood up from his desk. "Do you really think I'd let you go alone?"

"Nope! You're the one Daddy trusted with the vacation's funds!"

"... Why do I get the feeling that this won't be as simple as I imagine?" Clover asked rhetorically. Before Sonara could respond, he raised his hand. "Don't answer. I wasn't serious. Let's just... Yeah, let's try and find one that hasn't been attacked. I mean, there has to be one, right?"

"You're the scrier, pal. I just hit stuff."

Clover felt the need to respond, but he forced himself to remain silent. He gestured his escort to follow, and she pranced out the door behind him.

Outside, the indiscriminate chatter of people grew louder the closer the two got to the festival. The positive atmosphere alone made it feel like confetti would randomly rain from the clouds themselves. Several banners were raised to celebrate yet another successful initiation into Beacon's student body, and several people were already crowding around the plaza to celebrate and purchase snacks. Clover had to keep Sonara in front of him in order to protect the stands from her ravenous wrath. Fortunate and unfortunate that there were no ice cream stands in sight, Clover knew that if Sonara were to heat up suddenly, he could effortlessly rely on the ice cream cups hidden in the bag that hung from his shoulder.

They both stopped in front of a Dust shop, noticing the repaired window and pavement covering a portion of the street. _From Dust Till Dawn,_ Clover read. _It looks like they weren't so lucky either, but they've recovered somewhat._

"Guess we won't be window shopping here, eh Clover?" Sonara quipped, much to her servant's displeasure. His blue eyes bore into her soul, and the girl's laughter grew weaker by the second. After her gave her the glare, they entered the store, and the old man behind the counter smiled. The two at least appeared civilized. He silently greeted them with a wave and nod, and he resumed his task behind the counter.

Inspecting the Dust with his eyes alone, Clover frowned a little at what he saw. The capsule was not full. None of them were. Perhaps it was worse than he thought. Leaving Sonara near the shelves of music, a medium he knew she would be moderately absorbed in, he glanced towards the only other staff member that appeared present. He walked towards the assistant with the blue ponytail, who seemed to be analyzing each product before placing it on a shelf. "Excuse me?"

"Hm?" the assistant turned, eyes shielded by large fogged glasses. "Is there something you're looking for?"

Clover shook his head and gestured to the capsules. "Actually, I'm curious about the Dust in the capsules. Is that all that's left?"

"Yeah, sadly enough. I was off-duty when someone trashed the place. Shopkeep says that a girl with a red cape managed to send him running, but the a good portion of the Dust was stolen."

"I see..."

"But there should be enough to sell, of course. You shouldn't have to worry. Heheh."

Reading the kid was difficult with his glasses in the way. His body language at least told Clover that he was being sincere, though he was thrown off guard by the armor that surrounded the kid's shins. _... Precautionary measures should be expected after a robbery._ Clover eyed the canister the boy was holding. It was a sealed product, but he was currently placing items in the ammunition aisle. Curiosity must have shown on his face, for the kid quickly looked at the canister and back at him. "Oh! You're interested in this thing?"

"In a sense. It contains ammo, right? Sort of like a magazine?"

"Half-right. This is actually a thermos, but I prefer to call it an Insulated Coolant Magazine - I.C. Mag or I.C.M for short. The interior houses a pressurized, gaseous coolant that's achieved a temperature more hazardous than liquid nitrogen. The I.C.M. is sealed off with two walls - a steel exterior and an insulated interior. It's ubiquitous, but the Dust that's woven through the material gives the coolant more potency and prevents the inside from freezing over. The process was a bit tedious, but, hopefully, someone will come around with a weapon that can utilize the I.C.M.'s primary function: Freezing an organism solid."

The kid laughed after his explanation, though his voice gradually softened until he said, "But does it thaw? They could misfire. I haven't taken that into account."

"I-it's alright, kid. I don't even use a weapon."

"A-Azure," he corrected. He must have caught Clover off guard, so he repeated himself and outstretched a hand. "Azure Bliksem. 'Kid' can only be said for so long before getting dull."

He hesitated before shaking Azure's hand. "Just call me Clover."

"And I'm Sonara Heart!"

Azure and Clover turned to the boisterous voice. Sonara lowered the headphones from her ears and approached the boy. She shook his hand, asking "Permission to explode?"

"What?" Azure backed away from her as she laughed.

"I strictly told you 'No firebombing'," Clover reminded with a straight face.

Sonara pulled her hand back and thrust it in her pocket. "Relax! I'm just messing with him, Clover! I can mess with other people, unless, of course, you're jealous~"

"Hardly."

The redhead eyed the I.C.M. curiously. Without considering any of the opposing factors, i.e. Clover, she pointed at the thermos with a smile on her face. "I want it."

Azure's face lit up. He deeply bowed to sonara. "Th-thank you! You won't be disappointed, Ms. Heart!"

Sonara gave Clover a quick wink and proceeded to take the I.C.M. from Azure's hand. Before she could hand the item to Clover, Azure reached into his uniform's pocket, withdrawing several small vials of a similar material. "For emergencies only," he began, "In the event that the I.C.M. cannot be used, fill the vials with the coolant prior to engaging in combat. It should provide some utility that the thermos might not be capable of achieving."

"Alright, Mom. I got it," she joked, receiving a raised brow from Azure. Sonara took the vials, handing them to Clover with the I.C.M.

The two, after purchasing the equipment along with a few extra vials of Dust, exited the store. Clover studied the thermos carefully. It was not cold to the touch. _It's a good design,_ he thought, staring back at the store. _Tedious process, huh? Did he make this himself? He did look grateful when Sonara wanted it._

"That kid back there's a better servant than you, Clover!" she admitted with a bright smile.

Clover did not grace her with another glare. Instead, he conceded defeat. "For the time being, I'm your instructor and guardian. Nothing more. Nothing less."

"So 'friend' is out of the picture?"

Her voice, typically cheery and carefree, was lacking in some areas just then. Clover would be lying if he said he was not shaken by that. He paused briefly before responding. "Friends... ignore rules and regulations. Anyone and anything can be a friend." He then walked ahead of her, keeping his head relatively low.

Sonara caught up with him, taking a quick glance at his face. She giggled at the sight of a small blush on his face, regaining the lost traces of giddiness that had fallen from her voice before. "Whatever. You're so uptight! Loosen up a little; a festival's gonna start soon!"

"Give or take a couple of hours."

"Yeah, but time seems to fly a lot faster in Vale than in Mistral."

Clover sighed. "... I'll just blame that on your hyperactivity rather than the timezone differences."

"I'll take that as a compliment!"

"Don't."

* * *

Hunter's Room...

Fastening the white and amber eyepatch over her left eye, Hunter completed her attire. She tugged at the violet scarf that draped over her left arm like a side cape. The white and gold, sleeveless dress lacked the tears and scars obtained from nine months ago. Her corset and the armor that covered her waist and shorts had also been repaired. The few dents and claw markings that was once on them had been buffed and polished out. They almost looked brand new.

 _... I never thought I would be wearing this again._ Hunter looked out into the night sky, watching as the Bullhead carried her friends into Vale. She remained in her room a little longer, waiting until the time was right. As she waited, her eye caught the photo on the dresser.

A forlorn sigh escaped her lips. "... It will not happen again. I promise." The pale feather that sat in the middle of her room began to glow. Before she allowed the portal to form, she withdrew her Scroll from her pocket. She re-connected to her most recent call, and she kept silent.

"Howdy," a heavy accent answered from the receiving end. "Welcome to Vegas. What'cha huntin'?"

She kept silent. The man on the other end of the call snickered. "You're clear for landin', boss."

The portal ripped open, and Hunter jumped through. On the other side, she fell to her feet against the metal panels of the Bullhead. The pilot, a man in his late-thirties looked over his shoulder to Hunter. "The kids are in the playground, Hunter. You givin' 'em a show?"

"... Not today, Vegas. Just watching."

"Heh. Quite fittin', don't ya think?"

Hunter paused for a brief moment. "... I hate making things quick, but-"

"Say no more," Vegas interrupted, "I can't stop progress. You just make sure they... well, just don't get into trouble."

"... Thank you." Hunter leapt out of the moving Bullhead, softly landing on one of the rooftops near the festival. She put a hand over the sword strapped at the left side of her waist as she approached the lights.

From what she could see, the festival was just entering its more active stage. The concession stands were open, and the games and festivities had reached full throttle. Whereas a few people sat and took in the moment or zipped from stand to stand, the majority was casually walking from place to place. The sheer volume of the festival definitely made it difficult to hear anything out of the ordinary, especially from Hunter's height.

She took up her sword, and the weapon's blade folded back until it sunk into the cylindrical barrel affixed to the belly of the crossbow. She twisted the knob that sat above the rectangular scope, changing it to an infrared sight. Looking at the buildings adjacent to the festival, she found nothing too suspicious.

She loosed a bolt of pale energy towards a building that was a decent distance from the festival, and a portal opened. She ported towards the ground, transforming the weapon back into a sword before sheathing it.

There was no way she could possibly listen for Coco's voice in the crowd. Sticking to the rooftops would have provided a better chance of finding Coco or Fox within the sea of people, but, if danger were to arise, she would not be capable of porting there in time. Her Semblance only worked on solid, nonliving surfaces, after all.

No one bothered to even bat an eye at Hunter as she walked with her weapon in full view. Huntsmen and Huntresses were welcome in the festival, and what else would one expect from a protector of Remnant?

Not an empty stomach. That was the answer. It was part of everybody's daily routine, but Hunter neglected it more often than not ever since rehabilitation. So when her stomach growled in anguish at the sight and smell of the not-so-appropriately priced snacks, she could not help but drool. _... I... Oh, please hang on for just a little longer, Coco._ She hurried towards a stand selling some form of hot, sugary pastries. It was the last thing she needed, but she had to eat something.

The seller noticed the weapon at her side and provided a discount immediately. Hunter could not care less at the moment, but when she recalled that the snacks were at half price, she was thankful that she bought seven of them. The Huntress sat on a bench, eating the pastries at a pace too modest for her hunger. But she savored the taste, almost melting under its sweetness. That was when she heard a familiar voice, and she quickly ported across the street. She whipped her crossbow out and eyed the pair that was now walking past the bench she sat at. In her crosshairs, Coco and Fox walked, prizes in both of their hands. Hunter groaned internally. "... Too close for comfort. If she saw me eating those _things_ , she would never let me hear the end of it."

Porting back into the festival, Hunter kept her distance from the two. It was not difficult, for the crowd was large enough to disguise any individual garbed in white with accents of gold or red. So she followed for as long as she could until they found what they were looking for in the first place.

"Finally!" Coco shouted excitedly. "Oh man. This is it, Fox! This is what we've trained for."

Hunter had every right to take her Scroll and record Coco running towards a shooting range like a five year-old child, but, just as she was about to, a figure near the range caught her attention. He was surrounded by several children that appeared to be students at Signal. Apparently, even they were attending the festival, but that did not excuse Ozpin's 'informant'. _... What is he doing here of all places?_

"... so now you raise the rifle, like so. The stock should be at about the centerline of the body to help disperse the recoil. Remember that each action has an equal and opposite reaction, thus making the type of rifle you carry critical to your preferred style of combat. The ammunition type also plays a factor. In this scenario, the recoil is powerful enough to throw of a shot by a few inches. Now, notice how my finger isn't on the trigger. It's resting just outside the trigger guard. This is to prevent any misfires that may either compromise your position or harm your allies..."

She had not expected a training seminar of all things in the festival. Granted, students from all around Vale had the right to participate in the festivities, but it appeared that the children before her were some of the new freshman students at Singal. Seeing them here was admittedly refreshing. They were listening intently to what the blue-haired teen had to say - and he had a lot to say. He was practically covering every base he knew without error. Hunter then remembered why she had approached him in the first place. He was definitely not a student at Beacon; he looked about one year too young, and he was definitely not a simple 'informant'.

In the rare chance that he was, however, Hunter would acquire some much needed information about Mountain Glenn.

"... Excuse me?"

The teen looked her way, keeping the rifle at even level with his chest. "Oh! You're the girl from Beacon. What's up?"

"... N-nothing. I just noticed how keen you are with rifles."

He laughed. "Well, it isn't much. Really. I'm just covering the basics of rifle handling and maintenance. That's all."

"Just the basics?" One of the freshmen spoke up, "You aren't going to show any cool tricks?"

"Heheheh. Sorry, but you'll have to learn that from your instructors in the more advanced courses. Until then, practice makes perfect." He twirled the rifled in his hands until the stock faced a young girl, and he smiled. "Keep that weapon polished. It's craftsmanship is perfect."

The girl smiled back at him, and she, as well as the other students, rushed off. The teen sighed, a hint of reluctance noticeable within it. Hunter picked up on the subtle fact. "... Is something wrong?"

He shook his head. "It's complicated. I just hope she never has to use those teachings... or any for that matter."

Those words confused Hunter, but the teen snapped her out of it by taking the strange, sickle-like weapon that was leaning against the side of a stand. He hefted it over his shoulder, but before he could move too far away, Hunter called out to him. "... I-is that...?"

The teen turned slightly. "Hm? Are you interested in Kirin?"

 _... Kirin...?_ "... Is Kirin your weapon?"

"Heh. Yeah. I would talk about him more, but I have to keep working. I can't slack off now."

Confused, a tad bit weirded out, and even more confused, Hunter could only nod to him. "... Umm... R-right. Take care."

The teen returned the nod, and he returned to his station. Hunter could barely make heads or tails of the situation she just thrust herself into. Despite finally confronting Professor Ozpin's so-called 'informant', she had not answered any of the questions she had prepared. Rather, she was thrown even more questions, all coming from the very person who was supposed to answer them.

Before she could respond to her own jumbled thoughts, an arm fell over the back of her scarf. A teasing voice sent shivers throughout her body. "I never thought I'd see the day when you ditch a session with Mu."

The eyepatch made is impossible for Hunter to see Coco on her left side, but the voice alone instilled fear into the Huntress. "O-oh. Hello, Coco. When did you arrive?"

"When you bought those sweets at the stand half an hour ago~"

Hunter swallowed her fear, slowly turning to see Coco with Fox not too far behind her. His arms were crossed, and he mockingly shook his head at her. She nervously rubbed her arm, looking away from them. "... I never really had a session with Mu today, though this may force one upon me in the future."

All Coco could do was laugh before replying properly. "Looks like I've really grown on you, huh?" Her eyes then caught Hunter's attire. She lowered her aviators and nodded in appreciation. "You look one year younger."

It was now Hunter's turn to laugh, though her quiet nature only caused her to manage a stifled laugh. "... Let us rest somewhere before we are swarmed by people."

The three sat on the bench closest to where they once stood. This time, Coco was the one eating the snacks. Seeing the distant yet awestruck look on Hunter's face made her hold out a stick of cotton candy to her. Hunter was taken aback by the gesture, but Coco did not move the snack away from her. "Are you going to eat some, or what?"

"... Thank you," she said before taking a bite of the cotton candy. Again, her friend burst out in laughter. "That's one way to eat cotton candy, but you could, you know, take the cone from my hand?"

In an instant, Hunter snatched the cone out of her hand, turning her blushing face away from Coco. The latter laughed before finishing her cotton candy. She then joined in Hunter's activity, staring out into the festival. "You know, this is kinda relaxing. I didn't attend the festival last year. Thought it was lame, but I guess I was wrong. I don't know about Fox, but I had fun." She and Hunter glanced at Fox.

Their silent companion shrugged, waving his hand side to side with a smile.

"Yeah, he enjoyed it."

Hunter finished her cotton candy, staring out into the crowd with wonder in her eye. "... I was here to make sure you both were okay." Coco remained silent, allowing Hunter to continue. "When you said that you were heading into the festival, a thought came to mind. With so many Huntsmen and Huntresses resting or celebrating, something could happen - something bad. With the Dust robberies increasing in frequency, I did not want anything to happen tonight."

"Hunter, you worry too much."

The Huntress stared at Coco, who was also staring into the crowd. "No one's getting hurt. Nothing bad's going to happen. Why else do you think I take it easy most of the time? As long as we're around, we'll take down anyone and anything that can harm us."

"... Of course you would say that." Hunter looked towards the sky, letting loose a calm breath of fresh air.

As she opened her eye to peer at the night sky, a blotch of darkness that had caught the red and yellow lights of the festival came into view. The details were hard to make out. Perhaps it was simply cloth hanging out to dry? She squinted at the object, trying as hard as she could to notice anything peculiar about it.

Despite seeing nothing on the object itself, she could have sworn that there was no string to let it hang. That was when it moved. That was when it observed. The 'head' turned, eyeing the crowd below.

"Huh? Hunter?" Coco asked as her friend slowly and carefully stood to her feet. Her hand was trembling badly. Her heart beat louder than the crowd could speak. Each beat nearly threw her off balance. The pain from underneath her eyepatch returned, and, though her blood ran cold, she was beginning to sweat.

Just when she touched the hilt of her sword, an explosion rang out from just outside of the festival. The people screamed, pushing and shoving their way away from the danger. Others began cowering, frozen in fear as looming cloud of smoke coasted above their heads. Hunter broke away from staring at the source, turning back to the shadow that had watched from above.

Nothing. The figure had vanished entirely.

"... No..." She turned to Coco and Fox, both lacking their weapons to enjoy the festival. "Get these people out of here!" The two did not question her, and they hurried towards the center of the plaza.

The cold sweat had not subsided, and the pain from nine months ago was burning as if it were recent. It was a feeling she was all too familiar with.

That night, the White Fang operatives attacked the festival.


	6. Ch6: Crossfire

_RWBY belongs to the wonderful Roosterteeth and Monty Oum._

* * *

Chapter 6: Crossfire

Beacon Initiation Festival...

The explosion rang true, showering the festival in ash and dust. Onlookers gasped and called the authorities as the citizens attending the festival fled in terror. Of these attendees, one stood tall with a hand on her hip and a confident grin. Beside her, a suited man with straw-colored hair watched the smoke rise, brows furrowing at the sight. "Normally, I'd blame you," he admitted, "But this is beyond a simple prank. There's malice behind it."

"Uh-huh. That's all fine and dandy, Clover, but no one's running _towards_ the fight," she explained, jerking a thumb at the rising smoke. "Aren't there supposed to be Huntsmen or something around here?"

Clover shook his head, eyes trained on the scene before him. "It's the nighttime. Initiation had just been completed. Any trained fighter that is in the area most likely lacks their weapon to enjoy the festivities. It sounds like the most opportune time to strike."

"Yep." Slamming her fists together, the gauntlets burst with red energy. "Sounds like the most opportune time for me to strike."

"That's what I just..." Clover caught his tongue before continuing, seeing the glint in his escort's eyes. "... Sonara, no."

His disapproval only added to the mirth in her eyes. "Sonara, yes!" She sprinted forward, using her gauntlets and boots to accelerate her movements. _Why does this always happen when I'm on duty?_ Now left in the sea of screaming citizens, Clover quickly pushed and shoved his way against the tide.

* * *

"Head for the center of the festival! Quickly!" Azure shouted above the noise. Just when he had begun working at the Shopkeep's newest innovation, _A Simple Wok_ , the sheer velocity of the explosion shattered the stand and sent anyone and anything near it flying. Small droplets of blood trickled from the small cut on his cheek caused by the flying splinters. It was nothing major - nothing to waste his aura on. Instead, he rushed to the aid of those closest to the blast. Thankfully, there were none caught in the middle of it.

That did not mean that he could effortlessly guide them to safety. Inhaling just a small amount of the fumes rising from the singed crater was enough to send the teen reeling. The smell was atrocious, forcing him to wrap his favorite shawl around his nose and mouth. He thought little of it, however. There were more important matters at stake.

After a minute of aid and guidance, a gunshot pierced the screaming of the people, cracking into the air like thunder. Although the volume of the panicked civilians grew, Azure could hear his thoughts perfectly. _High caliber sniper. No suppressor. Unmasked by screaming. The shooter is either a novice or they don't care for..._

 _No. Wrong. That shot_ _ **screeched**_ _. That's a customized AMR. Bolt action..._

In that instant, he stopped aiding the civilians. The sudden realization caused his hands to tremble as he ran the process through his head again. It could not have been her...

A second, deafening shriek of heated metal snapped Azure back into reality. He turned towards the smoke, gritting his teeth as he equipped himself with Kirin. He braced himself for the worst, and he charged headlong into battle.

There were no bodies within the smoke and ash, fortunately. Upon closer inspection, the blast was not even absurdly large. Judging by how quickly he crossed the small crater, the blast radius was just large enough to eviscerate a stand similar to the one Azure was tasked to work at.

He was fortunate by the discovery, but his initial fears were acknowledged when the smoke had cleared from his vision. Before him stood the girl he had given a brief lesson to earlier, backed against the wall with her sniper in hand. A figure with tall, tufted lynx ears and a mask towered over the child. With great-sword in hand, the man lashed out at her.

She braced herself, hiding behind her sniper's body. When metal clashed against metal, however, she felt nothing. Opening one eye before the other, she saw the back of the teen who had spoken with her before, guarding against the Faunus' attack with all his might. Sensing the surprise in the force behind the man's attack, Azure glanced over his shoulder. Other than a few splotches of ash, there was not a scratch on her. Regardless, she had to leave, no matter how scared she was. "G-get out of here! Now!" he managed before the blade pressured him even further.

The girl nodded, speechless as she hurried away from the battle. Azure slowly turned his attention back to the Faunus, who chuckled behind his mask. The voice was familiar. "Ain't this a surprise? Shouldn't you be losing your mind in Vacuo by now? What happened to our drones?"

Azure bit back at his cocky tone by shoving the Faunus' blade aside and kicking him back a few feet. The Faunus hopped to his feet, standing with his blade ready. "Slate..." Azure growled through clenched teeth.

"You remembered my name? I'm so flattered! Feels like yesterday when we first met, doesn't it?"

He did not grace Slate with a response. He rushed the Faunus, swiping at his weapon with Kirin's hooked blades. Mildly amused by the attempt, Slate gripped his blade and let the boy try. The great-sword shook, but it remained in his grasp. He shoved Azure back, countering with a wide but predictable swing. It did not take much effort to duck underneath the blade, and Azure rose the shaft of his weapon, cracking it against Slate's jaw. The Faunus actually laughed at the thrill of the fight, slamming his pommel against Kirin's frame.

Azure stumbled back, finding time to shake off the brunt of the attack while Slate taunted him. "You know, I never properly thanked you for handing me my emblem. That was sweet of you."

"... You're not the White Fang I've heard about. Lurking in the shadows. Attacking festivals for no reason other than a show of force. Is that what you call equality nowadays?"

"Kid, it looks like you're a little out of your element. This isn't just some power-crazed fantasy we're rolling with, but let me spell this much out for you." Slate pointed the tip of his blade at Azure. "Stay. Outta. Our. Way."

If it was not for the shimmering figure of the blade before it had vanished, Azure would have been skewered where he stood. He held his breath, eyes wide in shock as the great-sword teleported between him and Kirin. His coat had torn from the blade that materialized after he dodged to his right. Seconds later, the blade vanished again, releasing his coat.

 _It can teleport?_

He looked back up at Slate, who was nowhere in sight. _... Teleporting blade, huh? Never heard of one._ Shifting Kirin into its naginata form, Azure jumped away from the plummeting blade. Its wielder drove the great-sword into the pavement, releasing it from its position via teleportation. Slate charged Azure like a wild Grimm, swinging his sword wildly as the blades struck each other with resounding cracks. It was only when they were caught in a stalemate that Azure got a good look at the Faunus' blade.

A black, speckled metal, similar to Kirin's blades, was what the habaki of the great-sword was crafted from. Azure's brows furrowed. "Why do you have that?"

"A gift from an old pal. What's it matter to you, anyway?" Slate overpowered Azure, forcing the naginata to slam into the pavement. He struck Azure's face with his free hand, teleporting behind the teen before arcing his blade across his back. Azure staggered forward, turning to catch Slate's blade against Kirin before it struck him again. An arc of lightning bounced between the two weapons, and the teen smirked. A faint, blue aura coursed from his body, and he soon overpowered Slate. Paralysis set in when he threw the Faunus' attack back at him, and he spun the naginata in a flurry of slashes and strikes. He took the brunt of Azure's onslaught until he teleported away from him.

His great-sword shifted, revealing the rocket launcher that was hidden beneath the bulky framework of the weapon. Azure froze at the sight of it. Just as Slate was about to pull the trigger, however, the smoke from the explosion coalesced around him. It appeared to surprise both combatants, and Slate scurried away from the strange, black cloud with fear evident in his motions. Where the Faunus once stood, another materialized from the smoke and ash. He was wrapped in black cloth; there was no way to know if he was friend or foe, yet Slate appeared frightened.

Sirens blared in the distance, catching the attention of the three. In retrospect, Azure should have known that the VPD would arrive at the scene. He estimated that they would actually enter the battlefield in the next minute or so.

Slate chuckled nervously before teleporting his weapon elsewhere, and he waved to both the man in black and Azure. "W-well, all games have t-to end sometime, right?"

With that, the lynx teleported further down the street. Azure was reluctant to let Slate go, but now the man in black was in his way. He stared Azure down, and Azure returned the glare. _Another drone? Why was I even surprised?_

"You!"

Azure instinctively turned with Kirin at the ready. Instead of finding another suspect, he saw the ashen-haired Huntress enter the battlefield. The gunshots and fighting must have drawn her out. He was about to respond to her call, but he was quickly silenced when she unsheathed her blade. "Stop that operative!"

 _Operative? So this involves Ozpin._ Azure turned to the man in black, who made no effort to retreat until Azure and Hunter attacked him. Their blades, however, passed through his form, and the man wisped down the street.

Hunter raised a pale feather, but Azure grabbed her wrist. "Take care of the people."

"What are you talking about?" she argued, pulling her hand out of his grasp, "I need to catch him! He's the one who set off the explosion. He's one of the-"

"It's a Huntress' job to defend Remnant and its people, so stop talking and get to work. I'll handle him."

Before Hunter could respond, Azure pursued the man in black. A single pulse of electromagnetic energy was all that was needed to catch up with the operative.

Hunter stood bemused and shocked by the truth of his words, which in turn angered her. She flicked her left arm, unfolding the shield that was once collapsed in her left gauntlet. She took a few steps forward, going against the duty Azure pinned on her, before she started running ahead. However, Hunter stopped before she was trampled by a blindingly fast ball of red light. With not one but two individuals in pursuit of the target, Hunter chose her alternative mode of transportation. She flicked open her Scroll, contacting Vegas at once.

* * *

The cars on the streets were tossed aside haphazardly, most likely by Slate as he made his escape. Fortunately for Azure, the lights were still active, giving him glimpses of the man he was pursuing. Still, he could not identify the figure at all with the amount of black clothing layered on top of him.

Transforming Kirin and opening the pommel, he fired an arc of lightning at the man. Like before, the attack simply passed through the man's form once he wisped away. The smoke trailed towards the rooftops, and the man reappeared. Azure contemplated another attack but immediately decided against it. _If he's willing to hide behind innocents, I'll just have to play his game._

Azure whipped Kirin forward, pulling both triggers back. The barrel connecting the blades' foundation to the body flashed, and the blades shot out with a bang. They latched onto a nearby rooftop, and Azure released the triggers, zipping himself toward the man. They collided, and the two tumbled off of the roof and onto the other side of the block.

VPD vehicles skid to a screeching stop as some were cut off by the falling people. The man shifted into his smoke form again before attempting to escape again. It took a moment for Azure to get situated; he did not brace for impact like the man in black had. Once he gathered his bearings, however, he chased him down.

Paralysis was not an option. The man was too far for Azure to channel lightning into him. Even if he did so, teleportation and transforming into smoke would negate the lightning trapped in their bodies. Without a doubt, the man would inevitably escape him, but, like a shooting star, a bright red energy streaked past Azure.

The man grunted upon being tackled to the ground. The girl that had caught him did not stop there, however. She tried to punch him, but only struck the ground that the man once laid on. The man materialized between her and Azure, glancing between them without making any sudden movements.

Sonara grinned once she saw her prey caught between her and Azure. She curled her fingers in delight as she channeled fire Dust through her gauntlets. "So you're one of the guys ruining my vacation?"

The man remained silent. His lavender eyes closed before he let out a disgruntled hum. He did not answer her, but he took a step back and raised his fists in a defensive stance.

"No answer? That's fine." Sonara lowered herself, preparing to charge in a moment's notice. "I like silent types."

 _The VPD will be here any minute now. Are they really going to fight here? Am_ _ **I**_ _going to fight here?_ Azure gripped Kirin, holding him steady for imminent combat.

Not one for waiting, Sonara pounced forward, brushing her flames against the sleek and polished metal beneath the tear she caused in his cloak. He dodged her, and he attempted his escape once more. This time, Azure was ready. He put one hand to the ground, forcing his lightning through the electric wiring that connected the lights in the area. In seconds, his lightning burst from one of the devices emitting the holographic lights, and it stunned the man. He rushed forward, racing against Sonara to apprehend the target.

A dull, red glow emanated from him, and his cloak erupted in flames. The two were sent tumbling as Azure lost concentration. The stun wore off, and the man turned to face them. Face covered by a dark mask, his only discernible facial features were his eyes and eyebrows. His ebony hair was unkempt and wild, sporting a bronze mane that flowed from his dark forehead to the bandages that tied the rest into a tail behind his neck. An actual, live tail swung from behind his dark clothing, bronze in color. On each arm, from shoulder to finger, was an assortment of sleek, twilight-colored armor.

Azure rose from his position, groggy and in need of healing. He let his aura take over for the time being whereas Sonara charged the Faunus again. She conjured portions of the pavement in her strikes, but she could not do so much as touch him. He parried each strike with ease, tripping her before sweeping her aside with his tail. She blocked the attack, catching herself in mid-flight with air Dust. She zipped towards him, passing through his form before any ice could encase him. When he re-materialized, she turned, holding out a hand that pulsed with dark energy. She had to form the concrete around her feet to resist the gravitational pull of the Dust in her gauntlets. The Faunus was drawn in almost immediately, and Sonara kicked him towards Azure.

The teen raised the shaft of Kirin, slamming it into the Faunus' head. When he fell against the street, Azure pinned him there, digging the tips of Kirin's blades into the ground on either side of his neck. "Alright, I've had enough of you drones. Tell me what you're after!"

The Faunus remained silent. He sifted past Azure, shoving the teen out of the way. He jumped as a passing car sped by. Glancing back at the lights, he realized that the electricity emitted from the boy had blown out the lights in the area. With no light guiding them, the people driving down the stretch of road were nearly as blind as bats.

Sonara quickly rolled out of the way, which in turn forced her to leap over another car in the process. She eyed the Faunus when he evaded the incoming traffic, but there were too many obstacles for her to attack. So she flew, taking both Azure and the man off of the street. To carry one person was a simple task, but the two were heavier than their appearances let on. She struggled before dropping them onto the concrete of a vacant lot. The three fell hard against the pavement, though the Faunus and Sonara recovered quickly.

Eventually, Azure recovered from the fall, and he saw the two glaring at each other. _He's realized that she's too fast for him. Now's the best time to take him in._ He transformed Kirin, channeling lightning throughout is elongated body. His weapon, now akin to a bolt of lightning, screamed out as he raised it over his shoulder.

The Faunus' body emitted a rising smoke, and a low snarl rumbled from behind his mask.

Sonara cracked her knuckles as the air around her danced in the heat. "I've got you this time, Wolfie."

In a flash, three portals opened from beneath the combatants, and they were ported to the belly of a flying Bullhead. Before they could react, they had fallen, hitting the concrete of the vacant lot with a solid thud.

The Faunus groaned as he tried to stand, but a foot planted itself on his chest before he could try. He glared at the new challenger - the one with ashen hair. She stared him down with her single, amber eye, seemingly locking him into place. When the red and blue lights caught up with them, he softened his gaze, letting his head fall back against the concrete. There was no use in struggling, not when there were people in the area that could stun, chase, and port him elsewhere.

Sonara and Azure got to their feet, but they soon found themselves surrounded by officers and a Bullhead. They raised their hands, though the former laughed at the current predicament. "Is it always this exciting in Vale?"

 _I just got here a month ago. How would I know?_ Azure sighed in defeat. "Apparently." At least it was not entirely a lie. His first night in Vale was uncannily similar.

The Bullhead, piloted by Vegas, landed outside of the scene, and, from it, Glynda Goodwitch arrived. She moved past the officers, all of which lowered their weapons upon seeing her. She glared at the three before she silently addressed Hunter. She finally looked towards the VPD. "I apologize for the destruction these three have caused. As this is an issue directly involving Beacon Academy, I believe you are aware that we have full jurisdiction to apprehend and see to it that events like these do not occur a second time. I, personally, will handle the reparations. For now, aid those who were injured in the festival. Let it be known to your superiors that the VPD should be on alert for any more attacks."

In the most professional of speeches, Glynda seemingly swayed the VPD in returning to the festival. After the last few cars had left the lot, she promptly turned to the three with a look that made Ursi look like stuffed toys. "You three will follow me. _Now_."

* * *

Beacon Academy...

The trip back to Beacon was painfully silent. Not even Sonara spoke under Glynda's gaze. Despite getting the impression that the headmaster's assistant could be this much of a feared individual before the incident, Azure still kept his gaze locked onto the floor of the Bullhead. Besides, the passenger beside him - the Faunus Hunter had cuffed - was probably not in the mood to be bothered by anything at the moment.

When they entered Beacon, the four were marched towards a single room with a table, four chairs, and a single light hanging above them. They were filed inside one-by-one with Hunter and Glynda taking up the rear. The former stood in the corner, watching the three silently, as the latter muttered to herself. "'It looks like things are shaping up to be an interesting year'. Why am I not surprised that _this_ occurred hours after Professor Ozpin said that?"

Sonara glanced between Azure and the Faunus. She then shrugged meekly. "I thought it was interesting."

"Quiet, you buffoon!"

"Hey! For your information, I'm one hundred percent human!" she argued, slamming both hands on the table.

In spite of retaliating as strongly as she did, Glynda's enraged presence caused Sonara to shrink in her seat between the other two. "Fine..."

Glynda paced the room, silently thinking to herself. Once she seemed to finally gather her thoughts, she glared at Azure. "Mr. Bliksem," she began, rubbing the headache from her forehead, "I was under the impression that you were 'working elsewhere'. I'm afraid of the answer, but why were you-"

"Chasing down a criminal?" he finished, glaring at the Faunus, "Simple: He worked with Slate to attack the festival. What else was I supposed to do?"

Glynda sighed. She was obviously exasperated by the ordeal. Azure's answer was exactly what she expected him to say. Although he should have left the criminals to the VPD, he was admittedly right in chasing down the suspect - especially since he was an operative. She turned towards the Faunus, who sat with his hands cuffed in front of his body. "Explain yourself. Now."

"... This was not my doing."

The room grew eerily cold when he spoke. His tone and response both held an ominous presence that none expected. He continued after noticing their shock. "That man - Slate - is my quarry. I am no operative. I am a liberator, and he is a demon."

"You don't have to tell me twice..." Azure mumbled.

"You're telling me that you _aren't_ one of them?" Glynda replied, arms crossed over her chest. "I'll need more than a simple statement to believe that."

"More, huh?" The Faunus raised his cuffs. One hand sifted through the metal, causing both Hunter and Glynda to reach for their weapons. When they jumped, Sonara jumped. _Oooh! Fight! Fight! Fight!_

Azure put an arm between them and the suspect. "Look, as suspicious as he is... he didn't try to escape. He could've easily done so with his Semblance. Considering where we are and the tight corners of the halls, he's guaranteed ticket home."

At this, the Faunus allowed a single chuckle. "Home. Right."

He reached in his pocket and tossed an emblem onto the table. Glynda and Azure immediately understood its purpose, but Sonara and Hunter stared, dumbfounded by its significance. "... What is that supposed to mean?"

"This is an operative's emblem..." Glynda took the badge and studied it. It was as Azure's journal described: polished silver, Goliath mask, rubies for pupils, and a high sensitivity to light. It was the real deal, and Glynda looked to the suspect. "How did you come across this?"

"Snatched it off the idiot while he was shaking."

Azure rested his hand on his chin, replaying the scene in his head. "He did save me from a rocket to the face. Even if I survived, someone would have been hurt. Slate even fled after he saw him."

The room grew silent as everyone fell into deep thought. Though one half of the room was studying the Faunus closely, the other half was busy pondering over what this could mean for them. Only one thought about how hungry she was.

A clicking noise broke the tension, and the door opened. The headmaster stepped inside of the room, holding a cup of coffee in one hand and a plate of food in the other. To Sonara, an angel had just descended. "I hope I'm not interrupting anything," he subtly apologized as he placed the drink and plate on the table. Sonara had already taken a few of the snacks before the man could even sit down.

Glynda sighed, relieved and mildly annoyed by Ozpin's arrival. "No. In fact, I believe we are nearly finished here. There is still one issue that we have to address, however."

With that, Glynda directed the headmaster's attention to the three sitting before him. Silently, he nodded to each of them, though, when he nodded to Azure, he said to the child, "Welcome back, Mr. Bliksem."

"I'd say that you're reveling at this, but you're probably the type who's always happy to cross paths with someone again."

"Tomorrow is never a promise. Let's make the most of it while it's here today." The headmaster was just as cryptic as he always was, but his demeanor changed a beat later. His smile faded, and he crossed his hands in front of his face. "With that being said, you three have certainly made an image for yourselves. Fortunately, the public eye will have no access to it, but that will not excuse what you have done tonight."

"But we haven't done anything bad!" Sonara argued, "Even I've been on my best behavior, and that's really difficult for me to do!"

The professor agreed with her. "You are correct. You three - even our friend with the mask - have done nothing wrong in your pursuit of the operative. You simply lacked the knowledge and awareness of which side each of you were on. Because of this, the operative successfully fled from the festival."

The three of them, including Hunter, tensed up, realizing their faults. However, the headmaster turned the atmosphere on its head in a moment's notice. "In spite of this, you have stopped him from continuing whatever scheme he was performing without any civilian casualities. I have heard from Coco and Fox of your efforts, Hunter. Clover has mentioned your bravery, Sonara. Halloween Briar of Signal Academy spread a most gracious rumor of her rescue by you, Azure."

Ozpin then turned his attention to the cuffed Faunus. "And though I do not know why you were present, you are obviously working against the operatives; and an enemy of our enemy is our ally. Because of this, you three will not be punished."

Sonara cheered loudly, which caused Glynda to shush her. It was still the dead of night, and a large majority of the student populous was asleep.

"Unfortunately, I'm afraid that you have burdened yourselves with a daunting task."

At this, the room fell even quieter than before. Ozpin continued, carefully analyzing the three individuals sitting in front of him. "It is without a doubt that you have made an image for yourselves in the operatives' eyes. There is a target on each of your backs, and I'd rather not question whether or not they would target another festival or one of you specifically." He paused momentarily, allowing his words time to sink in.

"Everyone in this room shares a common enemy, despite our reasons behind it. I'm certain we all agree that these operatives are too dangerous to let roam freely. So allow me to make a dangerous proposition. I am willing to open my school to the three of you. You will not be considered as students under our curriculum; rather, you will be considered special operatives trained to combat unknown threats that endanger Remnant."

Before any of the three, specifically Azure, could reply, the headmaster raised a palm to them. "I will give you time to think about it, but this incident has left me with very few options. It has been months since the operatives were last active. If this is how they make their reappearance, I can only imagine what they would do once they've begun their more heinous operations."

The headmaster stood to his feet, taking up the cane that he had leaned against the table. "If you are willing to aid us in these trying times, return to Beacon Academy tomorrow morning. Otherwise, may our paths cross again in the future." Ozpin opened the door, waiting beside it as he gestured the three out of the room. Whereas Azure and Sonara left through the door, the Faunus sifted out of his shackles and exited through the window. The act surprised Glynda, but she could not give chase. The door closed once the group had left the premises. Ozpin grabbed his mug as he walked towards the window, staring out to the broken moon above.

"... That was a dangerous proposition, Professor Ozpin," Hunter admitted.

"Your endeavor was just as dangerous, Ms. Blanc," he retorted, quickly causing Hunter to hang her head low. "But it was a gracious and valorous one. You've done well."

The student kept her head low, though she sheepishly looked away from him.

Glynda took a brisk step forward. "Professor Ozpin, I do hope you know what you're doing. While I admit that they are talented individuals, taking them into Beacon without initiating them would cause more problems than they're worth."

A brief silence passed before Ozpin took a sip of his coffee. He exhaled. "Perhaps, but the challenge is always welcome. Besides, who else is going to protect them?"

His final words flew over Hunter's head, but Glynda's face softened at the fact. "Sometimes, you are too kind, headmaster."

Confused by the exchange, Hunter was not given a moment to decipher it. Glynda opened the door, gesturing Hunter out of the room. "Don't think that you're not getting away from this without some form of punishment, Ms. Blanc. Professor Ozpin may be merciful, but I found your escapade too reckless for your own good. I'm assigning you to another session with Professor Mu tomorrow evening."

All the headmaster heard before the door shut was a pitiful whine from Hunter. Once the door had closed, he chuckled softly to himself. "My apologies, Glynda, but this year is going to be even more interesting than we had bargained for."

* * *

The Bullhead left the campus six minutes after they were dismissed. The Faunus, perched like a gargoyle above Beacon's main hall, watched as the vehicle flew both Sonara and Azure back into Vale. Once he was certain that no harm came to the vehicle, he stood erect on the building's roof, crossed his arms, and closed his eyes. Hopefully, the night would not be long.

* * *

 _A/N: Hello. This is Qrow._

 _Thank you all for dealing with me for the past few weeks! I'm glad you are enjoying the story so far!_ _This one was probably - and hopefully - one of my more exciting chapters. I had a lot of fun writing it. Special thanks to Toy2711, Witty Remark, martenkolkman, and tamakaru2 for following! Welcome to the nest! (I'm a 'Qrow'. Get it?)_

 _I'm sure we all know that when Autumn rears its head, college is not too far behind. Thankfully, I my past self is a scheduling genius, leaving Fridays with zero courses. So I guess the upload times won't really change? I wouldn't quote that, but it's written right here. Perhaps I should continue to simply 'wing it'._

 _Anyway, here's the status update. The story's going along wonderfully, so I decided to take a load off for a while. In other words, this story will be on a short hiatus. It will continue, but I have to evaluate and proofread the later chapters in order for it to continue. That, and I have a few projects and art-related stuff that I would like to get out of the way before I'm back in college. So... yeah. I'll be taking a short break, so don't expect another chapter in a week or two. On the third week, however, you can destroy me if I have nothing uploaded._

 _Sounds like a deal? I think it's a deal. Anyway, I hope you've enjoyed the story so far! Here's to another eventual slew of uploads and the like!_

 _Ciao~_


	7. Ch7: Recall Pt1

_A/N: Super late, everyone! Sorry about that. I had Friday as my backup, but things happened. Nevertheless, I now leave the house all five days a week for collegiate activities and the like. Perhaps I should upload 'whenever-ly'?_

 _Oh well. It doesn't matter. I'm back now! So it's time to wind down after all of the action both in and out of the fanfic~ We all deserve a little breather.  
_

 _RWBY belongs to the wonderful Roosterteeth and Monty Oum._

* * *

Chapter 7: Recall Pt.1

Hospital...

Standing against the tiled, white walls of the hospital was exactly as uncomfortable as Azure imagined. He could not help but stand against the wall as his right hand's fingers tapped nervously against the wall. Hospitals were unnerving. On one hand, patients were cured of their ailments and saved. On the other hand, patients were tested, prodded, and helpless while the doctors held judgement over the patient's health. It was a twisted and biased mentality, but Azure could not help it. He simply stood outside of his grandfather's room with his mother.

Claire glanced over at her son worriedly. He had spoken with her about the ordeal - about the proposition that the headmaster of Beacon offered. She knew his stance on the subject of Huntsmen and Huntresses, but the boy was in deeper thought than before.

Azure glanced at his mother, seeing the worried expression on her face as she stared back at him. He sighed, forcing his hands into his pockets. They both chose silence over speech, finding no value in discussing Ozpin's proposal. The boy was essentially given two options: Endanger himself or endanger his family. It definitely was not the most comfortable situation to be put in, but it was the easiest to resolve.

The doctors left the room, and one turned to the Bliksems standing outside of the room. "Zaffre is in stable condition. You may enter, if you wish."

"Thank you, doctor, for everything," Claire said with a bow. The gesture was genuine and caused a bit of hesitation in the doctor. "D-don't thank me just yet. It's only been one month, and... we haven't found the source of the illness. I've never heard of a disease that can sap one's aura levels to such a critical state."

The doctor left, jotting down a few notes on his clipboard as Claire and Azure entered the room.

Zaffre was sitting upright, eyeing Beacon Academy from a distance. When he heard the doors open and shut, he looked towards his daughter and grandson with a smile on his face. "You two look like you've seen better days," he wittingly began.

"You're one to talk, Dad," Claire retorted, causing the old man to stifle a laugh. She sat at his bedside as Azure motioned to the wall that formed the hallway that led to the man's bed. He pressed his back against it and crossed his arms, aware of the machines that were keeping Zaffre stabilized. The last thing he wanted was to blow a fuse from anxiety.

Zaffre chuckled at the sight. "Nervous, my boy?"

"... Maybe a little."

"It's Beacon, mostly," Claire explained. Azure cringed at the fact, but he did not argue against it. His grandfather's smile shrank, and his brow rose. "Beacon?"

Azure remained silent but nodded.

"Well, don't just stand there. Tell me more! What's got you interested in hunting all of the sudden?"

"I'm not interested in it," he managed despite the imminent headache, "I just need to... I have to think right now. There's no time to theorize what's to come, and I can't afford to make a single mistake right now. Beacon is just involved in all of this, and I got wrapped up in the chaos."

 _My mind was everywhere during that fight. Too much adrenaline from the explosion. I couldn't find a pattern in Slate's attacks. He caught me off guard, and that sword... Why does he have that mineral?_

"Calm down, Azu!" Claire quietly shouted, "You'll shut down the machinery!"

That snapped him out of it. Sweat was forming above his brow, and his head was beginning to heat up. Claire must have noticed his condition. He rubbed the side of his head before removing his glasses and rubbing his eyes. "Sorry. Almost lost it there." He fit the glasses onto his face again and sighed. "Listen, I don't want to make any brash decisions, but there'll be consequences no matter what I do."

"Hmm..." Zaffre held his chin, pondering over his thoughts. "I've no idea what happened, but I can't tell you what to do anymore. Neither can Claire. I've said it before, and I'll say it again: Whatever you choose, we will follow. Just be sure that it is the right choice."

The teen narrowed his eyes, gluing them to the floor beneath his feet. His mother's words echoed in his mind. _"Azu, it's alright to stand by your beliefs, eve if that means sacrificing something important to you."_

 _"Sometimes rules will have to be broken for you to pursue what you truly wish to do."_

He glanced back at his mother and grandfather before looking past the balcony and to Beacon Academy. Then he turned, saying nothing more as he walked out of the room. Claire watched with a pained but somewhat relieved expression. "Hmph. He's a spitting image of that father of his," Zaffre noted with a chuckle.

"... Do you think he'll be alright?"

The old man scoffed. "This is Azu we're talking about. One-track mind or not, he thinks before he acts. If this is as difficult of a decision as he makes it seem, he must've thought about it more than we would ever know."

Claire fell silent. It seemed that Zaffre's answer was not the one she wanted to hear, for her anxious frown only deepened. He patted her back and asked, "What? Do you think he'll be hurt?"

"I guess every mother would think that about their child, regardless of the circumstances." Claire took a breath before she calmed down a little. She then shook her head in denial. "Maybe I'm just overthinking things. I just don't want to lose him like we lost the village."

"You have to trust him, dear. Let him forge a path. As long as we follow behind him, we will never lose him."

His words appeared to give some more life to Claire's eyes, and she smiled weakly. "Do you really think he'll be alright, Dad?"

"Everything's going to be alright, dear. I swear."

* * *

The Following Morning, Beacon Academy...

 _Alright! Focus, Sonara! This will be the day I do something that I never thought I would ever do!_ Sonara hopped off of the Bullhead and stood in awe before Beacon Academy. It was the first time she had ever set foot on the campus while the sun was out, and it painted a marvelous picture before her. She spun around to face the Bullhead and shouted, "C'mon, Clover! Let's-"

She stopped when she saw that no one was behind her. She pouted and huffed, turning back to Beacon drearily. "Aw man. I forgot. I'm the one who's stuck here. Well, I guess it makes sense. He did graduate from Haven."

Before the Bullhead departed from the station, a second teen walked out from the vehicle. Hearing the familiar, metallic footsteps, the girl turned to see the ocean-haired teen exit the aircraft. "Oh!" She smiled his way and waved. "Hiya! Looks like we missed each other on the Bullhead, but I guess we'll be working with each other from now on!"

Azure allowed a small chuckle, and he stepped forward. "Yeah. I guess so, Ms. Heart."

 _'Ms. Heart'?_ Sonara laughed at how formal he was. "I thought I recognized you yesterday. You worked at the that Dust shop Clover and I went to. Thanks again for the I.C. thingy, by the way."

Ignoring the fact that Sonara forgot the acronym, Azure stopped before her. He surveyed the area, and noticed that something was off with the scene. "Wait, where's tall, masked, and deadly?"

Taking the description as the Faunus from last night, Sonara shrugged her shoulders. "You mean the suspect? Not sure. I guess he chickened out or something."

"Huh..." He took one last look at Vale before feeling even remotely content with his decision. "... We can do this. If he wants to work on his own, we're bound to cross paths again."

"Whatever floats your boat, Sparky."

Azure eyed the girl warily, though his fogged glasses obscured this expression severely. "U-uh... Azure's just fine."

"Then you should get used to calling me Sonara. No more formal nonsense; we're teammates now."

As reluctant as he was with the sudden partnership, he did not want to ruin any chances at forming a cohesive unit. There were more benefits than repercussions in a team of people willing to be allies. Azure held his hand out. "Of course."

Sonara grinned, accepting the teen's offer with a beast-master handshake. To her surprise, his right arm was unnaturally firm, and his grip, in spite of his initial surprise, was admittedly powerful. She released him, turning around to face Beacon. "We should probably start moving, Sparky. The headmaster probably wants to see us in his office."

 _She's not going to stop calling me 'Sparky', is she?_ Azure thought to himself as they proceeded through the campus.

As the two of them maneuvered through the campus, it soon became apparent that today marked the first day of school for the students. The students that wandered about were equipped with a wide variety of weapons. Without much effort, Azure identified several just by looking at them. It became a small game after two minutes of following the bouncing redhead. They fascinated him on a level some would call absurd. Before he knew it, he was at a standstill.

From the way he gazed at them, Sonara could tell that he was probably going to be affixed to that spot for a while, thereby postponing or ending their adventure prematurely. She watched in silence as the boy's head turned to stare at a collapsed lance and cannon attached to a shield resting on the back of a bulky Huntress. _Okay... That's a little creepy,_ she thought before cupping her hands around her mouth. "Hey Sparky!"

The beckon caught a few glances from the surrounding students, including Azure's. The boy broke out of his trance, and a faint blush ran across his face. "S-sorry! I've just never seen anything like those weapons."

"I've never seen anything like _that_ weapon," she commented, pointing a finger to the kusarigama hanging horizontally behind Azure. He quickly grasped Kirin with both hands and hid it even more from her sight. "Hey! Don't talk about Kirin like that!"

"Uh-huh. And how does Kirin feel about being shaped like that?"

"Stop treating him like a victim! He finds his form perfect and well-crafted!" _Well, he's as well-crafted as the makeshift forge back in the village, but that was a good forge!_

Sonara recognized his emotion through his tone and body language, and she laughed loudly and unrestrained. "Cool down, Sparky! I'm just toying with you~" She wiped a tear from her eye, though a few giggles escaped her mouth. "He looks dangerous - something we'll probably need after we deal with the headmaster." She turned on her heel and proceeded forward.

With Sonara leading the charge once more, Azure sighed. "Of course..."

He spared a few glances at the students as they passed them by, however. Careful to not become enraptured by their weaponry, Azure quickly realized just how strange they must appear to be. The students that heard Sonara's call, and those who just so happened to noticed, were staring at them as they walked through the campus. Sonara barely seemed to care, smiling as she pressed onward. Hopefully, they were heading in the right direction, but a thought crossed Azure's mind before they could wander too deeply into unknown territory.

Tapping Sonara's shoulder gently, he asked, "Have you ever been on this campus? That is to say, have you ever been here without being guided to an undisclosed room?"

The girl gave it some thought, adding another thirty seconds to their allotted time on the campus. Finally, she shook her head with a resounding "Nope!" It was not a smiling matter, but she seemed pleased with the result. Azure pressed his gloved hand against his face and gave an exasperated sigh. _I should've known better. Well, she's not completely at fault here. I should've paid more attention to the doctor's path. If I knew I'd be returning here, we'd already be done talking to Ozpin._

"Whoa. That's one large mustache."

The observation pulled Azure back to reality. He looked in the direction Sonara was staring in, and he saw a large man with gray hair and the burly gray mustache Sonara had pointed out. It seemed that he was enjoying the temporary peace that was outside the academy. Azure told Sonara to follow before they approached him. The man turned to them with a hum; his double-breasted, burgundy suit almost seemed to bounce with the motion. "Hmm?" It must have been difficult to see past the bushy eyebrows, but he appeared to be aware of who was walking his way. "Ah! Greetings, young ones! How are you on this extravagant morning?"

"Just fine, thank you," Azure began before asking his question. "Are you a professor, by any chance? My friend and I just got here, and we have an appointment with the headmaster today. I was wondering if you could help guide us to his office, if you aren't too busy."

"Why of course! Professor Port, at your service." The professor directed them down the stone path that curved around the small pond and stone pillars. "Just follow that path until you reach the amphitheater. From there, just head straight until you pass the dining hall. Take a right, and you should find an archway leading to a series of elevators. You can reach Ozpin's office from there."

"You're not going to show us?" Sonara asked from behind Azure.

Port shook his head. "Unfortunately not. You see, my class starts in an hour, and I plan on showing the freshman student body how Beacon Academy refines its Huntsmen!"

Just as he finished his declaration, two men carrying a concealed cage strode past them, visibly shrinking in size when the cage snorted and... growled?

 _He's bringing a Boarbatusk into the classroom?_ Azure was left speechless at the sight whereas Sonara grew even giddier. "You guys have live Grimm? On campus?" she gasped as the men finally left their sight.

"Only the greatest methods of study are allowed in my presence, and I wouldn't have it any other way."

Azure crossed his arms, completely baffled by the series of events. "So we're not going to talk about how they caught a Boarbatusk just to test the students?"

"Of course not! How can we talk about what never happened?" It was then that the professor leaned forward, whispering to the two of them, " _I_ was the one who caught that foul beast." With a jovial laugh that caused his belly to jump, he began following the men that were carrying the caged Grimm. "Good luck in your endeavors!"

Sonara waved him away. When he was out of sight, however, the bulb in the light pole that stood beside them shattered. Sonara ducked away from the sound, but she noticed the sparks of electricity dancing around Azure's head. She connected the dots, and she took one step away from him.

"He's kidding, right? He's not serious, right?"

If Sonara could attribute his tone and veiled expression with anything, she would assume that he was at or beyond the 'eye-twitching' point of annoyed. She had not seen that expression in a few years, and, as nostalgic as it was for her, she was not used to the sudden discharge of electricity coming off of Azure. "Umm... Are you alright?"

It took a moment for him to calm down, but Azure eventually forced himself to take a few breaths before proceeding. "Y-yeah. I'm just... _peachy_ right now. I forgot that this is an academy designed to pull my hair out."

"Pfft! You've got nothing to worry about then. You have more hair than I do!"

Azure glanced forward, focusing on the bangs that nearly covered his eyebrows. Indeed, he had not considered cutting it ever since he arrived, for he had admittedly grown accustomed to long hair. During work, he simply fashioned his blue hair in a ponytail, but he acknowledged the girl's point. "Heh. I guess so."

"But did you see _his_ hair?" she continued as they walked their guided path, "That mustache was huge! It was like a bed for hamsters!"

"Hamsters? No, I'm going to have to correct your observation. There are a variety of safer havens for hamsters to rest on. _That_ is a catastrophe hiding in plain sight."

"It could grow to become much safer than a bed. Here's an example: Jack from the Achieve Men. His beard is the perfect cushion! I could sleep on that all day."

To say that Azure was confused or uncomfortable with the sudden image of an unknown man with a beard that could support Sonara would be the understatement of the century. He was never more thankful for the glasses hiding his widened eyes. Whereas his were open and alert, Sonara's had closed in the daydream that was the Achieve Man's beard. Drowning out Azure's calls, she proceeded forward until she bumped into a pillar. She stumbled backward, having been roused from her dream, and she grinned despite the pain and shock.

The Faunus looked down at her with arms crossed and a presumed scowl behind his mask. Now that the sun was present, they could see the amalgamation of patched up, loose clothing and trinkets foreign to Vale adorning his clothes. His tail swung back and forth for a moment before he let out an amused hum. "Not the cowardly type, I suppose."

"Took the words right out of my mouth, Wolfie," Sonara retorted with a stronger grin.

He leaned over her, gathering an intimidating presence. "That's Enra to you."

Azure slid between the two, forcing them out of each others' faces. "H-hey, let's not get hostile here! We're on the same side, right?"

"Whatever you say, Sparky."

"Just don't get in my way."

 _Alright, I'm now reconsidering my options._ As the two backed away, he closed his eyes in contemplative thought. At least they were not after each others' throats. Azure looked Enra's way, hesitant to speak with the wolf Faunus. "E-Enra, right?"

The Faunus nodded silently.

"We were wondering where you went. Did you arrive just now?"

He shook his head. "Early," he concluded in a single word.

"Oh. That actually makes sense," Azure mumbled. He relaxed his stance now that Enra and Sonara calmed themselves. "Well, we're to meet Ozpin in his office. We shouldn't waste any more time, or we might just miss him."

"Then what're we standing around for?" Sonara piped cheerily. "Step to it, Sparky!" She gave him a rough pat on the back, forcing him closer to the main entrance of the amphitheater. He gave her a look, but she could not ascertain what it was because of the glasses. In the end, she kept smiling as the three entered Beacon Academy.

In spite of the occasional humming provided by Sonara, they were quiet as they marched toward the elevator. The trip would have been eerier if the students were not wandering the halls to go to their respective classes. Inevitably, they arrived at the elevator, and Azure recalled everything from there. He moved to the side, ushering in Sonara and Enra before he entered. Sonara quipped something about him being a better escort whereas Enra scoffed. Pushing the button to the office's floor, Azure, Sonara, and Enra stood awkwardly within the elevator.

Sonara was the first to break the ice. "This is exciting. Is anyone else excited?"

Enra did not bother answering, and Azure looked somewhat defeated. The boy pressed his back against the wall and sighed. "This is actually irritating, to be honest. It's the last thing I needed, but I need it nonetheless."

 _Ouch. Okay, bad start._ The girl pressed a finger to her chin, crafting a topic only someone like her would find entertaining. "What do you guys do for fun?"

Realizing the intent of Sonara's questions, Azure relaxed a little more. "I tinker... a lot. There are a lot of materials I've picked up since I was little; I haven't parted with them since. Actually, Kirin is one of my creations. I built him out of the scrap I was just talking about. He's a bit shy, but he's keen and uncannily sharp. There hasn't been a single encounter I have lost because of-"

"Cool story, bro. How about you, Wolfie?"

Enra glared at Sonara as she smiled widely at him, all while Azure mumbled to himself. Something about him thinking Kirin's backstory was cool. Regardless of whatever he was going on about, Enra eyed the girl who had questioned him. "If I tell you, I'll have to silence you."

"Geez, you two are no fun..."

"Hey, you're the one who cut me off when I was getting to the good part," Azure reminded, pointing an accusing finger at Sonara.

The girl was caught off guard, but she bit back. "Good part? Where was that? Section fifty? I asked for something fun, not an audio-book."

He raised a brow. "Are you implying something?"

"Enough!" Enra shouted above them, smoke rising from his shoulders.

Although the noise had stopped, the three watched as the doors slid open, revealing a bewildered professor, an unimpressed huntress, and a relatively amused headmaster. Through their light bickering, they must have masked the sound of the elevator dinging.

They stood like deer in headlights, and, soon after, water sprinkled down atop the three. Enra's smoke was snuffed out, and the water stopped falling.

Hunter pinched the bridge of her nose, shaking her head in disappointment while Glynda utilized her Semblance and Dust to pull them into the room and dry them off. For the first time in what felt like forever, Azure's hair was out of his face and standing tall.

It appeared that even Glynda was having seconds thoughts. Her dry tone and hesitation made it apparent when she glanced over to Ozpin with a look in her eyes. "Are you... sure about this, professor?"

However, in spite of their previous and current appearances, Ozpin nodded firmly. "Yes. I have faith that our series of encounters have been more than just mere coincidences."

"Does being here on vacation count as more than a coincidence?" Sonara asked meekly, "I mean, I kind of just... happened to be in the right spot at the right time." The mention of something so serene and trivial to the matter at hand took Hunter by surprise.

"The same can be said about many heroes-to-be, Ms. Heart, though I will say that we are fortunate to have a member of the Heart family by our side."

"Pfft! Don't be formal with me. I'm just here to light some fireworks."

"As you wish, Sonara." The headmaster then turned his gaze to the rest of them, including Hunter. "Now, before I begin, I assume that your presence here dictates that you are willing to aid us in these trying times, if our previous meeting held any merit. With that being the case, I preface this one last time: You will not be considered as students among the staff. You will be trained to combat unknown threats that endanger Remnant. Under any circumstances, do not disclose the information you will be learning now and in the future to any students. It would be in your best interest to learn and work with them from time to time, but, for their sake, do not expose them to what you are about to learn. Now, are you absolutely certain that you want to help us?"

The room went ominously silent. Hunter knew where she stood on the matter. Nearly a year of rehabilitation - nearly a year of doing nothing since the operatives went under the radar - had conditioned her for her reinstatement. But she found herself eyeing the three individuals before her. Azure's brow was knit as he hid behind his glasses. Sonara's smile formed into a wry grin, most likely due to the thrill of a challenge. Enra stood motionless like a statue, but his voice was the first to break the silence. "I accept."

"Do I even have to say anything?" Sonara asked, leaning towards Azure. The ocean-haired teen gave her a shrug but directed his answer to Ozpin. "I think it's obvious why we're here."

The headmaster glanced to Glynda. She did not seem too affected by their determination. In fact, she returned Ozpin's glance and patiently waited for his next action.

"In that case..." Ozpin slid his Scroll onto the desk, and a series of holographic images shimmered into existence. "Consider this your first debriefing."

* * *

 _A/N: A short chapter, but short chapters are cool too._

 _If you find the series interesting, be sure to leave a review and follow if you feel inclined to. It always helps me in the long run, for reviews help me better entertain all of you. And with that, I bid you adieu._

 _Ciao~_


	8. Ch8: Recall Pt2

_RWBY belongs to the wonderful Roosterteeth and Monty Oum._

* * *

Chapter 8: Recall, Pt. 2

"Consider this your first debriefing."

A light hue coated their faces as they stared at the series of images floating before them. "Your targets are operatives of the White Fang known as Eclipse. They work alongside their sister organization on occasion, but they often work as a singular unit to complete their objectives. We are unsure of how many members of the White Fang are within Eclipse, but we have learned that there is a hierarchy in their system due to the efforts of Ms. Blanc and Mr. Bliksem."

Azure and Hunter shared a glance, the latter nodding to the former as a sign of thanks. Their eyes returned to the images when Ozpin continued speaking, noticing how it had changed from what appeared to be Eclipse's symbol to what was their emblem and a series of notes messily written by Azure. The boy groaned at the sight, and the comforting hand of Sonara found its place on his back.

"From what we've gathered, this hierarchy consists of 'drones' led by four individuals, one of which we eventually learned to be Slate, the lynx Faunus responsible for last night's affair."

The images shifted again, revealing articles dated months ago, and Hunter noticeably winced at the sight of them. "Eclipse was first discovered in Mountain Glenn no more than a year ago. They appeared to become more interested in the site as time passed, but they prioritized in aiding their sister organization through riots, theft, and skewered diplomacy. However, they eventually branched away from the White Fang, forming a unique and obscure set of ideals. Hunter was the first to notice when they appeared to be targeting Huntsmen and Huntresses in particular. Those who were sent previously were not heard from again, and it became apparent that wherever we sent Huntsmen, Eclipse was watching from the shadows. Despite our best efforts, all we have managed to do was postpone the inevitable. Now that they have resurfaced, I fear that many students here and elsewhere will be in danger."

"So our first order of business is to expose an organization that's proficient in making their pursuers disappear?" Azure commented with a nervous smile, "Yeah, I don't quite see how that works out in our favor."

"Indeed, the odds are against us. Perhaps they've always been. However..." The images shifted again, revealing Slate, a steel building with Eclipse's symbol, and the mugshot of a man named Roman Torchwick. "... Their defenses are not impregnable. They may be powerful, but they are not omniscient. There have been accounts where students like Hunter and our alumni have found and cleared one of their headquarters. If that is not enough to convince you, they have recently been working alongside the efforts of Roman Torchwick during his more recent Dust robberies. It appears that, because of this, their ranks are thinner than before, creating quite a predicament for them."

Sonara, whose grin was unfaltering for a third of Ozpin's dialogue, shrank. Her pupils were more or less spinning after being bombarded with the information provided. "U-um... So, what's our job? In English, please?"

The headmaster acknowledged her request with a smile. "You four will be assigned with locating Eclipse's whereabouts and neutralizing any operations they make through gathered intelligence and careful study."

"... They are far from your ordinary criminals," Hunter sternly added, "Although we should act soon, let us not act without caution. A single mistake can cost us more than what we have bargained for."

"Don't worry! Caution's my middle name!" Sonara happily replied.

"Mr. McTwisp would care to disagree," Glynda noted, looking through her files.

"Wait? Clover was here?"

"No. He delivered a message to us regarding you and some information that he had found." Glynda looked through her Scroll for verification before continuing. "In regards to you, he stated that you would most likely say that 'caution is your middle name' in scenarios such as this. With that being said, do try to keep yourself under control. I've already told the staff about your... status."

Sonara saluted the professor. "Roger that, Ms. Goodwitch!"

"So what now?" Azure inquired. "I doubt that we're 'free to do as we please'."

The headmaster removed his Scroll from the desk. "Of course, but I don't expect you to walk into enemy territory unprepared. I will contact one of our staff to aid you in your assignment."

"Wait, so you're not helping us?"

Ozpin averted his eyes momentarily. "I'm afraid I have other matters to attend to. I do admit that this is another reason as to why I may have appeared so desperate. If things were different, you probably wouldn't be standing where you are today."

He let that sink in for some time before concluding the debriefing. "In spite of this, we should not dwell on what we cannot change. I will have your mentor send Hunter a message when he is ready to speak with you. Until then, feel free to explore Beacon. I'm sure that you are all hungry and in need of some well-deserved rest. Make yourselves at home, you three, and good luck in your endeavors."

The team, now assembled and given their objective, thanked the headmaster with a nod before leaving. They exited the office, entering the elevator and making their way to ground level.

"Well... he seemed nice!" Sonara started as the team began their descent.

"Y-yeah. Nice but hard to read." Azure thumbed his chin, assuming a look that only meant he was pondering. "He's definitely a busy guy. I guess we'll just have to cope with it... and this school."

His words unintentionally jump-started Sonara, for the glint in her eyes returned. "Oh! Does this mean I can attend class with the Hamster-Stache Guy?" In saying that, Sonara received a confused look from both Hunter and Enra while Azure facepalmed.

"I thought you dropped that with that daydream of yours. Listen, if he were to be a house for hamsters, he would have to have the basic commodities as well. In theory, he would only be a better house if he had whatever beard you were imagining earlier and wore clothing that housed enough food and water to sustain a family. Even then, there would have to be an activities center for them, or they would grow lazy, fat, and unhealthy."

It then occurred to the two silent members of the team that the two had this discussion prior to their meeting. Hunter's eye bounced between the two as they debated what exactly a certain portly professor required to house a family of hamsters. It did not take long for the seasoned Huntress to realize that it was Professor Port that they were speaking of, which caused her to stifle a small laugh. The others had not noticed, but Enra heard the small chirp clearly. "Problem?" he asked.

"... N-nothing!" she said, silencing herself immediately. She must have interrupted the two, for Sonara and Azure turned their attention to her. "... I will be going to my - _our_ dorm. I am not hungry at the moment."

"Me neither!" Sonara said, moving to Hunter's side. "You guys can go on ahead. I've been dying to have another girl-to-girl conversation. Do you know how boring it is to live with Clover for a month? It's practically insanity!"

"... I am now regretting my decision."

The elevator doors parted with a ding, and Sonara threw an arm around Hunter's neck. She led the veteran out of the lift, saying "Don't say that! I've got plenty of games we can play! Besides, my bags should have arrived by now, and I can't unpack all of them by myself... I mean, I could, but Clover tells me not to..."

The two walked out of earshot, which in turn caused Hunter's pleas for escape to go unheard. After all was said and done, Azure and Enra were left alone in front of the elevator doors.

"Well, I guess we might as well eat?" Azure suggested, to which Enra replied with a snarl and nothing else. The Faunus walked off, leaving Azure alone. The boy lowered his head and followed with his hands in his pockets. "... Alright. Note to self: Ask Sonara for social advice."

* * *

Sonara stretched her arms as she sat in the room with Hunter. For someone who was living alone in a single room, the veteran Huntress was surprisingly tidy. If it were Sonara alone, the room would most likely be evaporated.

All three beds were aligned side-by-side, which provided ample space for two extra roomates. The fourth bed, however, was strung up above the one on the far right. Several more books lined the shelves of the small shelf sitting in the middle of the room, in front of the window through which white light cascaded. Other than the two desks and wall-mounted shelves on either side of the door leading into the room, there was not much else to observe.

Sure, Sonara could take a gander at the wardrobe or enter the washroom, but what else could be expected out of the normal?

She fell on her back, exhaling loudly to gather Hunter's attention. It barely worked, with the older girl only slightly peering down from her roost above. "... Tired already?" she inquired with a straight face.

"Nah. Just bored," she explained, "Is this what you always do with your free time?"

"... There is nothing wrong with a peaceful morning of literature." Hunter returned to the book currently in her hands.

"Uh-huh. Tell that to the other ten books on your lap. Did you even finish those?"

Hunter shrank significantly, hiding her face behind her book. Averting her eye from Sonara's potential gaze, she answered her. "... That is irrelevant. However, if you have any other plans, I am listening."

The redhead burst with laughter. Forget Clover; this Huntress was far more entertaining! Sonara sat up, promptly turning to swing her legs over the bedside. She propped her head on a hand and smiled. "All academies hold a training room. Why don't we go there and spar? I could use the thrill, and you look like you could use the company."

"... I would rather stay here, thank you."

The answer threw Sonara for a loop. She eventually gave Hunter a shrug and a smirk. "Your loss." She then proceeded towards the bags that inhabited the corner. Fortunately, the team's bags had been delivered earlier than expected, mostly on Clover's behalf. In one of the smaller packages were a dozen sealed packets of cold ice cream - exactly what Sonara needed. She tore open one of the seals and scarfed down a packet.

Her eyes then darted towards Azure's delivery - a box. It was smaller than her bags, but the mechanism hanging from one of the latches drew her interest. Inspecting the lock got her nowhere, making whatever was inside there even more valuable than what she could imagine.

Hunter noticed Sonara's actions, coughing loudly into her hand to draw her attention. "... That is not yours. Please do not intrude on Azure's privacy."

"'Intrude'? Me?" Sonara laughed at the notion. "Nonsense. We're practically a team now. There's no such thing as 'intrusion' and 'privacy' now. We lost that privilege ever since we came here."

 _... I will not say that she is correct, but I cannot refute the claim entirely..._ Hunter shook her head. "... At least respect any wishes that he may have, like 'Do not go through my belongings'."

The younger girl narrowed her eyes and rubbed her chin with a mischievous glint in her eyes. "You sure about that? Aren't you even a little curious?"

The question caused Hunter to jump slightly. When she had not responded, Sonara continued. "I mean, look at him! He carries his Kirin everywhere and builds all sorts of gizmos! Just look at this thing!" Sonara withdrew the I.C.M. from her bag, showing it to Hunter. "I can't even remember what this thing does, but he built it! You can't **not** be curious about him!"

She had a point. Unlike Enra, who lacked any and all sorts of luggage, Azure was a topic that had bags delivered to the room. His strange disposition did make him an interesting subject as well as the undeniable fact that Ozpin managed to inadvertently send her on a wild goose chase for the teen. As the headmaster's supposed 'informant', he should have up to date intel on recent events, including Mountain Glenn.

"... I will admit that I am curious-"

"A-ha!" Sonara pointed an accusing finger at Hunter.

"- but that does not excuse the fact that we should not rummage through his belongings. What if there is nothing of note in there?"

The finger curled back into her hand, and Sonara scratched her head. "Hmm. Then I guess we spent all that time on nothing. Oh well." The girl dusted off her hands, and an ominous, red glow emanated from the one reaching for the lock. "There's only one way to find-"

"Hey. We're back," Azure called as her walked through the door. Enra was not far behind him, arms crossed and mask still apparent.

Before anyone had a chance to pose any questions, Sonara hid her hand behind her back and hurried to Azure's side. "Finally, you're back! Hunter's been trying to look through that locked box ever since we got here - the fiend! You have nothing to worry about, 'cause I was there protect your insecurity!"

"... You mean _privacy_?" Hunter corrected.

"That too!"

Azure glanced between the two of them, finally resting his eyes on Sonara. "Right... of course you were."

"A-anyway, what're you doing back so soon?" Sonara questioned, hiding her nervousness behind a lucid farce.

"The mess hall's empty," he replied, stepping into the room and resting on the bed near Sonara's. "Everyone's still performing in their morning classes, so we kind of got treated to lunch early. Food's good, but the silence was... err, silent."

Upon saying that, all eyes motioned to Enra. The Faunus paid no mind to the comment. He seemed to prefer said silence, and his unresponsiveness only attributed to the claim. He walked into the room and leaned against the wall, leaving one empty bed as a result.

Azure broke the silence moments later. "So... any word from our mentor?"

"... Nothing yet. If I were to guess where he is, our mentor would most likely be excavating for something in the Emerald Forest."

"So you know who it is?"

Hunter nodded slightly.

For about a minute, all was quiet. The air in the room seemed to thin as they thought of what they could say to each other. Finally, Azure spoke up. "You know, why don't we take a walk? I mean, we might as well get used to the school, right?"

"... Perhaps I should give you three a tour." Hunter ported from her bed to the floor, and she opened the door. Silently, everyone followed the Huntress as she led them throughout the academy. The newly formed team then spent the rest of the day wandering the campus, forging a fragile but present bond.

* * *

 _A nice, short chapter to wrap up the day with. I kind of like shorts like these; they're very relaxing to write and read._

 _Anyway, after a long week of high poly, 3D modeling, I'm going to rest easy. Have a good night's rest, everyone - it is quite the healthy activity._

 _Ciao~_


	9. Ch9: Calm before the Storm

_Happy Thanksgiving, everyone!_

 _RWBY belongs to the wonderful Roosterteeth and Monty Oum._

* * *

Chapter 9: Calm before the Calm before the Storm

...

"So, let me get this straight," Morrigan began, "You successfully complete the operation, but you were seen _again_? You were nearly apprehended and fled like a rooster with teeth for brains; and _you_ want to be a part of the the second operation?"

Slate took a cautious step back. The bat Faunus could feel him nervously smirk underneath his mask. "N-now that you put it that way, I can see why you're a tad bit upset…"

Morrigan snarled at him, and the lynx hopped five feet back. "BUT! That doesn't mean I should be put on the sidelines! What're ya gonna do without your walking evac button? If that were you in the festival, you'd be caught in a heartbeat!"

"I don't get caught. My record's clean, or at least it would be if you hadn't lost your emblem."

"Enough! Both of you!"

The operatives silenced themselves, looking towards their leader. He was staring out of the window, watching the still and sleeping kingdom below and the academy afar. Akane was by his side, leaning against the wall with his arms crossed. The leader, glanced over his shoulder before returning to the window with a response. "We cannot deny his utility, Morrigan. He will be there for the second operation..."

"Aha!"

"... But he will work under my supervision."

"Oh," Slate grimaced and spat, "Bloody hell..."

"Now, now," Their leader glanced over his shoulder at them before returning to the window. "There's no need for that. I simply wish to confirm my suspicions."

"About the runt, right? Or am I wrong?" Morrigan intervened.

The leader did not answer. He kept his gaze fixed on the academy. Soon, he spoke up. "Find Torchwick and pry some information out of him, will you? We should prepare for whatever ludicrous scheme he has next."

Morrigan growled under her breath before walking off. "Fine." Seeing this, Slate quickly caught up with her. "Oi! Wait up! How'll you get there without your evac button?"

The two shimmered out of the room a second later, leaving Akane and his leader. The silent Faunus eyed his superior, who was still staring far into the academy. Rather than speaking, he gave a small shrug before looking towards the floor and closing his eyes.

* * *

Beacon Academy...

Something was wrong. Something was terribly wrong.

Sonara winced before she opened her weary eyes. She sat up and yawned into her hand almost soundlessly as she stretched her arm. The sun had barely risen, and she was already awake. It was not unusual; it was simply irreparable, at least without someone like Clover or her family. _I wonder how they're doing._

'6:54'. That was what the clock displayed. She began patting down her unkempt hair to no avail for the next minute or so. It was still too early to even consider combing through it, let alone stand and head towards the washroom. However, she had an idea, a great one! Surely, it could keep her entertained for the next hour or so.

Hopping silently out of her bed, Sonara eyed the bag with the lock on it. Unfortunately, there was no use in opening it at that time, since it would undoubtedly cause a ruckus. However, the bag's owner raised more questions than the bag itself. She looked to Azure, who slept in the bed nearest to hers. She tiptoed her way around the foot of his bed, keeping an eye on the Faunus who rested against the wall with his eyes closed.

Seriously. Even the floor would have been a better option.

Once she believed herself to be safe from harm, Sonara watched her blue-haired comrade sleep. In perhaps the most disturbing sign of affection, Azure held Kirin close to himself as he slept. As disturbing as it was, Sonara remained unfazed. She was more interested in another item he held close at all times.

"You wouldn't mind if I take these, would you? Thanks." She gently removed the boy's glasses from his face, and she fit them onto hers. She tapped the sides as she looked around the room surprised. Regardless, the act alone was fun enough to pursue, so she giggled softly. "By my calculations, you are already dead," she joked, imitating Azure's voice as best as she could. That got another laugh out of her. Setting her subpar impression aside, she noticed the glove he was wearing. She leaned forward, inching her hand closer to his.

Not a second went by as his bronze eyes flew open and his hand latched onto her wrist. He was wide awake; sparks danced around the crown of his head. A moment lingered before he gradually calmed down. For a second, he appeared to have finally noticed that Sonara was there. He let her go, and he rubbed his eyes. "Are you serious, Sonara?" he mumbled angrily.

Sonara nervously chuckled. "Mornin', Sparky!"

"Ha, ha," he sarcastically mocked before reaching his hand forward. His palm was facing up. Relieved of his glasses, Sonara asked, "How'd you wake up so early? What's your secret?"

 _Spending the majority of your life outside of the kingdoms and fearing for your life is probably not the best method to condition the body to wake up at such early times._ Azure set the glasses onto his face and shrugged. "Practice. I don't exactly have a 'secret method'."

"Okaaay... but what about your glasses? Why don't they-"

A low grumble shook the air. "Can you two idiots quiet down over there?" A pair of lilac eyes slid open halfway, glaring down at the two. "What is so important that the two of you must talk about it at this hour?"

The two shook their heads vigorously. "N-nothing, really!"

"Hmph! That so?"

The sudden shifting above Enra's head drew their attention, and they watched as a light flashed from Hunter's bed. A feather struck the opposite wall, and, from it, Hunter emerged, groggy and unrested. She rubbed her half-lidded eye, glancing between the three of them. Each one waited in cold silence, and Hunter spoke up. "... If you do not come up with an explanation for waking me, I will make sure that **no one** finds your bodies."

"Um..." Sonara looked to Azure, who silently shrugged at her. "... Good morning?"

* * *

After a rather uncomfortable morning of preparation, Hunter explained their current situation. With no mentor and no official induction into Beacon Academy, Azure, Sonara, and Enra were no more than 'visitors' on the campus. That being said, Enra opted to remain within the dorm room while the rest of the team headed for the mess hall. It was awkward to eat alone since classes began at nine, but the workers in the cafeteria were kind enough to make small talk with the group, especially Hunter. She definitely had somewhat of a reputation in the academy; everyone cared for her as if she were their monotone, little sister.

Breakfast came to pass. The staff bid Hunter a good day, and the team left promptly. The veteran led Azure and Sonara back into the halls, but she stopped and turned to face them. "... I would like to rest for today," she said, "Speaking with those ladies made me feel... relaxed." Sonara did not quite understand, but she obliged and followed her towards the dorm. Azure, on the other hand, decided to head for the library. He once heard that libraries were calm and peaceful locations built for study. When Hunter confirmed those assumptions yesterday, he was ready to venture into it. So he took his book and wandered into the library.

Everything was exactly as he told. There were a few students present, some with their noses in books, and others with nothing better to do than to bother their prissy yet proper teammates. He even drew the attention of a few of them, most likely due to his attire. Azure ignored the more... expressive students in the library, focusing all of his efforts on the book of puzzles laying in front of him. With his journal in Ozpin's hands and an unnamed mentor being contacted, he put Eclipse on the backburner. It was inevitable that he would confront them again, but stressing over the current situation would not do. So he continued to run through his book of puzzles. Some time passed, however, until he ran into a roadblock.

 _How in the world am I supposed to solve this one?_

Azure's eyes picked apart the parchment lying on the table in front of him. The squares, nine by nine in a subdivided, grid-like fashion, rose off the page and filled his vision. Fuzzy, black insects patiently occupied their own squares, some learning to share with their own kind.

Then the smell - oh the scent of printed paper - engulfed his nostrils. It was intoxicating.

"Hey, Sparky!"

Following the voice and the slamming of a pair of hands on the table's surface, all of the repressed noise drummed against his eardrums. The chorus of chattering students, rustling leaves, and chirping birds quickly became apparent to him again. He could even feel his heart skipping a beat as he caught his breath. The air was cool, but the aroma faded, and the puzzle before him reverted to just that - a puzzle. Before him, his red-headed teammate smiled with her hands on her hips.

Involuntarily, his hand had managed to latch onto his shirt in the midst of his surprise. "Sonara? Wh-what was that for?" he half-shouted, keeping in mind where they were currently.

Sonara graced him with an energetic smile. She spoke loudly, ignoring the rules of a traditional library. "You looked like you could use the jumpstart!" Taking a seat in front of him, she propped her head up with her palm, placing her elbow on the table for support. "Anyway, whatcha got there? It looks kinda boring."

Azure cleared his throat and released his shirt. "It's not boring. It's just a puzzle." He spun the paper around for Sonara to see.

"Each line of squares on this grid must contain one number without said number repeating vertically or horizontally. The issue is that not every sixteen by sixteen square on this four by four grid is in perfect order, so the possibility of solving this puzzle without error is monumentally small. That, and letters have finally been introduced, which only serves to increase the puzzle's difficulty. My record's even taken a hit; I'm already at thirteen and a half minutes."

"... Uh-huh." Sonara lifted the paper by its corner, studying it like a dusty, foreign treasure. "... Where are the pictures?"

"What pictures?"

"... You know what? Never mind. This is actually very boring!"

Azure swiped the paper out of her grasp, holding it close to his body. "It's not boring! It's entertaining."

Sonara rested her chin on the palm of her hand again and smiled. "That's what I said: Boring."

"Well, I was having fun!"

"No, you were being hypnotized." Sonara leaned forward with a wicked smirk growing on her face. "Face it, Sparky; I saved your life."

He sighed before asking her, "Did you come here just to call me 'Sparky' again and mess up my streak, or do you actually have something to tell me?"

That seemed to get her attention, for she perked up at the question. "Oh! That's right! Hunter wanted me to get you. She said, '... Our uniforms and scrolls will be delivered here soon. Can you find Sparky and tell him to meet with Enra and I in our room?' and I replied, 'You got it!' So here I am."

 _That was an almost perfect imitation..._ He raised a brow. "She... didn't really call me 'Sparky', did she?"

"I speak nothing but the truth and only the truth!" she saluted before standing to her feet. "And now my objective is complete! I'll be heading back if you need me."

A second went by as Azure straightened his puzzle and set it on the table. "Then I should finish this quickly. Go tell the others that I'll be there shortly."

Sonara froze and watched as Azure scribbled in three different entries. Her smile faded, and her eyes widened. "Oh my gosh, you actually find that fun."

"Of course," he replied without taking his eyes off the paper, "Did you think I was kidding?"

"Well, I thought... err... Pfft!" At a loss for words, Sonara laughed. "Whatever. You big dork."

* * *

A series of knocks rasped against their dorm room's door endlessly. Enra closed both eyes and lowered his head, forcing himself to ignore the already pulsing headache that he was partnered with. Despite maintaining a calm farce, he was showing signs of impatience.

Hunter stood up, moving at an agonizingly slow pace, and opened the door for Sonara. The redhead smiled, knocking twice on the already open door. "Knock, knock!"

"Are you trying to wear down my patience?" he uttered from behind his mask.

A beat went by before Sonara childishly knocked on the door again. Whereas Enra snarled in her direction, Hunter played her game. "... Who is there?"

"You."

"... You who?"

"Yoohoo! I'm back!" she exclaimed, waving towards Enra. The Faunus groaned in disgust, turning his gaze away from her. She hummed a soft tune as she entered the room, but Hunter kept the door open for five seconds longer. "... Where is Azure?"

Sonara plopped onto her bed, asking, "Who?"

"... Where is Sparky?" she conceded.

The redhead laughed before responding. "He's busy 'having fun' with a puzzle. Can you believe that?"

"... If you want my honest opinion, yes." Hunter left the door open and sat at her desk. "It has only been a day since your induction into Beacon. I am more surprised that you have not noticed until now."

"Haven't noticed what?" Azure asked, entering the doorway.

Enra scoffed and muttered, "Speak of the devil, and he shall come."

"But I'm a girl."

The Faunus groaned and ignored Sonara, who passed him a teasing grin. She continued to pester him, but Enra kept his head low and eyes closed. As they bickered, Azure turned to Hunter. "Anyway, have you heard anything from our mentor?"

Hunter shook her head. "... Nothing yet, though I cannot shake the feeling that he will contact us today. Make sure to check your scroll every now and then."

She did not need to see his eyes to know what expression he was making. The raised eyebrows, the slight tilt of the head, the faint smile... "... Right. You currently do not have your scroll?"

Azure nonchalantly rubbed the back of his head. "Yep, and my parents are pretty... archaic. Old-fashioned is another adjective. Heheheh."

"... Then I will keep an eye on mine."

Hunter's scroll beeped not a moment too soon, and she answered the call. "... Professor Ozpin?"

The room fell silent, but Hunter kept the scroll close and her conversation closer. After some back and forth, with Hunter mainly confirming with a small 'Mhm', the veteran closed the call with, "... We will meet you there shortly." She hung up and turned to her team. "... We are to report to Professor Ozpin's office. Our mentor is near."

Enra pushed himself off of the wall. "Finally."

"Oh! I can't wait! I wonder what he's like."

"No information regarding our scrolls or uniforms? I'm not arguing, but I'm keeping Kirin on me."

Hunter gave Azure a reassuring nod. "... Do not worry. We all will be carrying out equipment for this meeting."

The team gathered their supplies, following Hunter into the headmaster's office. On their way to the elevator, she glanced back at them. It was an... odd sight to behold, to say the least. Unlike many Huntsmen and Huntresses, they appeared to be carefree - even Enra, who was daydreaming. His eyes were fixed in front of him, so every turn caused him to double-take, snarl, and right his mistake. When they entered the elevator, Sonara decided to bring up Professor Port again. Apparently, he has gained a new fan. Still, Azure refused to accept her opinion on the man's mustache, and Hunter found herself confused by the whole ordeal. She shook the feeling, only sensing the faint presence of déjà vu.

They approached the headmaster when the doors opened. A smile grew on his face upon seeing them. "It is good to see you all again."

"... It is good to see you too, professor."

"Where's the mentor?" Enra asked bluntly, receiving an elbow from Hunter in response. It did very little to harm him. The professor did not mind the question, and he set his scroll onto his desk. A series of images appeared in the air - images recording feed from a series of cameras in a lush forest. Two of the five displayed a man digging in the middle of a burnt section of the forest. "Your mentor told me to explain his current absence in his stead. Right now, he is excavating the Emerald Forest as part of a personal project of his. However, we cannot afford delay your objective for too long, so you are to enter the Emerald Forest and locate your mentor."

"So we find him?" Azure shrugged, "I'd rather have him come to us, but that's not going to happen, is it?"

"I'm afraid not, Mr. Bliksem."

"I figured as much..."

Hunter laid a hand on Azure's shoulder. "... I will guide you there, but we should make haste."

The images vanished as Ozpin retrieved his scroll. "You are to report back before sunset. Good luck."

Before the team left the headmaster's office, Hunter conjured a bright feather and laid it against the floor.

* * *

The Emerald Forest...

"... Here we are." Hunter stopped at the cliffside, her team following her lead. Sonara loomed over the forest, deeply gazing into the canopy. "Whoa. We're so high up!"

Azure scratched the back of his head. "And how exactly does Ozpin expect us to go down there?"

"... We jump."

"That's not a funny joke."

"... It was never a joke to begin with."

Lowering himself in disappointment, Azure looked out into the forest. "You know what? I could probably construct a drone to scout the area before we pursue our mentor. I should have enough scrap left, so if you guys could jus-"

Hunter spun around, kicking the boy off of the cliffside. The greenery of the forest quickly filled his vision as the wind brushed past his face. He began to scream and shout, though is was barely coherent from where Hunter stood. She looked towards Sonara and Enra, gesturing towards the cliffside. "... Well? Who is next?"


	10. Ch10: 2nd Confluence

_RWBY belongs to the wonderful Roosterteeth and Monty Oum._

* * *

Chapter 10: Second Confluence

" _'Who's next'_? Is that all you have to say after kicking a kid off a cliff, Hunter?" Enra shouted.

"... Whatever do you mean?" she asked, "I told him to jump. Was I unclear?"

"Still falling here!" Azure screamed from below.

Sonara leaned forward, peering even further into the forest from the cliffside. She squinted and bobbed her head side to side as Azure plummeted. "Huh. More than five seconds."

"Unclear? No. Insane? Questionable."

Hunter shrugged and walked towards one of the concrete slabs on the ground. She conjured a feather and laid it on the slab. "... As long as I am clear."

"I'm still in the air!" Azure screamed once more, much softer, however.

"So, are we going to jump as well?" Sonara asked, taking her eyes away from the forest. Hunter approached the cliffside and raised an arm to the forest. "... Of course."

A moment had passed before the feather on the slab glistened. When the portal tore open against the concrete, a blur of blue was shot into the air, followed by a shrill, albeit unrecognizable, scream. The group turned to watch as Azure skyrocketed through the air.

A laugh giddily rose from Sonara, and she took a step back before leaping off of the cliff. "GERONIMO!"

Enra calmly approached the ledge, arms crossed as he passed Hunter. "I'd advise not doing this again." He then followed after the redhead, arms still crossed as he fell.

"... Was I the only one who thought it was funny?" she inquired before pursuing the group.

* * *

The wind was cutting at his face - pulling at his mouth. Azure was fortunate that his glasses were still on.

He reached for Kirin as he tumbled through the air. He grabbed a hold of its handle by the time he reached could see the leaves clearly. _Terminal velocity! Electromagnetism should slow me down. Increase surface area to slow myself down. Then improvise._ Azure sent out a pulse of lightning, forcing his body to straighten out before he projected his pulses in front of him. Spreading his limbs, he gradually slowed his descent, but the fall was too great. He clipped a thick branch before using Kirin to steady his landing. The blades scraped against the barks of several trees before he crashed, his feet gathering upturned dirt as he skid to a sudden stop. His back slammed against the tree behind him, and he fell face-first on the ground in front of him.

In his mind, he knew that only one thought was relentlessly barraging him. _This is exactly why I despise the academies..._ Azure stood up, using the tree behind him as leverage. He tightened his grip on Kirin and shook his head. "Geez... the least you could do is buy me dinner before you kick me around."

Azure's eyes snapped open just as the wind quelled around him. Something twitched. Something... ticked, similar to when he felt the operative watching Ozpin - similar to how he could smell the alcohol on the towel his mother brought with her. He ignored the last bit of familiarity and turned, deflecting a Beowolf's claws with Kirin's frame. The Grimm staggered back just as Azure retreated. He noted two more Grimm, each in his peripheral. As they attacked, he retreated to the canopy, where he studied the scene.

 _Three. Young and mindless. No patterns to follow._ He dropped down, shallowly cutting through one's hide. He back-stepped before it could retaliate. The other two rallied together, closing in as a duo. The boy sidestepped the two, sweeping at one's leg before puncturing its back with Kirin. Lightning was pumped into the beast, and Azure removed Kirin before the second Grimm could attack. He blocked the beast's claws, yet he was forced back several feet under its force. The electrocuted Grimm slowly got to its feet and joined its brethren.

"Come on. I'm not that weak, am I?"

The Grimm responded with a guttural growl. Although they spoke no language in particular, Azure felt their growl answer his inquiry. He grit his teeth and unveiled Kirin's javelin form.

With a swing of his weapon, he swatted the Beowolf's claw away. He pressed Kirin's open pommel against the beast's torso, and he poured lightning into the Grimm, frying it alive. He lowered the weapon before sweeping the Grimm aside and charged the remaining two. He stopped just before he reached them and let out a potent discharge of electricity. The two Grimm, discombobulated, could do nothing as Azure tore his blade through one and into the other. With one final discharge of lightning, he confirmed his kill, watching as it dissipated around his blade. He panted, easing his stance. "That... was too close for comfort. Literally."

A fourth Grimm then pounced on top of him. Its paws were holding down his weapon as it viciously attempted to bite his neck. Azure threw all of his might into throwing the Grimm off of him, but the beast was strong. He had to utilize his Semblance, and that only managed to force the Grimm to flee. The Beowolf snarled at him as they stared each other down. Azure chuckled. "Trust me, pal. There's a Faunus back there somewhere who's got you beat..."

The Beowolf charged, but, at the sound of tearing flesh, it stopped. The two combatant paused, looking down at the Grimm's torso as it slid diagonally off of its waist. The upper half of the Grimm hit the ground with an audible thud, its legs following soon after as Hunter stood behind its corpse. Azure sighed in relief, collapsing Kirin into its kusarigama form. "Heheh... Am I glad to see yo-" he stopped, staring at the veteran's trembling hands.

Looking back at the Beowolf, Azure studied the cut. It was jagged and poorly executed. _Even the edge alignment is completely off._ He looked back at Hunter, who was now shallowly breathing. "H-hey! Hunter, keep it together!"

She snapped out of it. Her amber eye focused on Azure, and her trembling ceased. "... Th-that was not my intention!" she apologized.

Azure took a step back. A nervous grin grew on his face. "Umm... What? Did you _not_ want to save me?"

"N-no! I, err..." Hunter flubbed her wording, and in the midst of her stammering, she sheathed the sword-turned crossbow and took a step back. Taking a deep breath, she shook her head and proceeding to think first and then speak. "... It was not my intention to send you flying into a pack of G-Grimm. I was only attempting to continue the tradition set by Professor Ozpin."

 _So Oz is to blame for her kicking me off a cliff? Noted._ "Okay, but what happened with the Grimm? I mean, I'm grateful, but are you feeling alright? You didn't injure your wings on the way down, did you?"

"... No, I-" Hunter suddenly stood erect. She quickly and briskly approached Azure and asked, "Wait? What did you say?"

"Are you feeling alri-"

"No!" Hunter interrupted, and she gathered her thoughts. "... After that."

Azure scratched his temple. "About your wings?"

Hunter paused before snickering. "... I am sorry. I do not know where or when you got the impression that I had wings, but the quip is appreciated."

"Quip? I'm not even joking."

Hunter stopped laughing. Her eye went wide. "... You are not joking?"

The boy shook his head. "Not in the slightest! Why would I joke about someone's injury? It's dangerous out here, and I'd prefer it if no one suffered any injury under my watch. Besides, Faunus injuries are much harder to treat than most injuries."

"... This is not funny anymore." Hunter backed away from Azure and began trekking deeper into the forest. The boy quickly pursued her. "So, you're not injured?"

"... I may suffer from a brain aneurysm at this rate."

"An aneurysm? I don't think I have anything to prevent that."

"... That was sarcasm."

"Oh! Heheheh..."

Hunter rolled her eye and faced Azure. "... What makes you think that I am a Faunus?"

Azure tapped his chin. "Call it a 'tick', but I just got the feeling when we first ran into each other last month. The amber eye, the ashen hair, and the way you strike first from above are all too similar to an owl's. I just figured that, since you don't have feathers on your arms, you're hiding your wings under your coat. It'd explain why your hips move the way they-" The tip of her blade forced Azure to shut his mouth. Hunter rose the sword slightly, lifting the boy's head.

"I will give you five seconds to rephrase that sentence. Four."

"It's the way you walk!" Azure answered, to which Hunter lowered her blade. She sheathed her sword and sighed, her downcast expression growing even more evident. "... Was that all it took?" she asked him.

"To be honest, I've spent quite a bit of time with Faunus. Guess you could say that I've learned a few ticks from them." The pun had no effect on Hunter. Azure sighed, and he patted her shoulder. "If it's any consolation, I know that expression on your face. You don't want me to tell anyone, so I won't, alright? It's as simple as that."

"... Simple?" Hunter watched as Azure walked ahead of her. "You mean, you will not tell anyone?"

"Won't tell anyone," Azure replied. "You must really want to keep it a secret if someone like me made you look so defeated. Besides, I mend injuries, not make them."

Rejuvenating. Something about what he said was rejuvenating to hear. Hunter could feel it in her aura. It was... warm. Unpolluted. It was flowing gracefully between the leaves of the forest. Her wings felt lighter despite them being restrained to the underside of her coat. She felt every feather move against the breeze. as she embraced the sudden warmth of her aura. In the brief second that it was there, the feeling subsided.

"Hunter?" Azure called, "You ready?"

The Huntress blinked and shook off the remnants of the lingering aura. "... Of course. Lead the way."

"Lead the way? Aren't you supposed to be a Huntress?"

Hunter caught up with Azure. "... I... would rather stand behind you for now."

The boy chuckled. "Hunter, don't tell me you're-"

"Please don't think poorly of me..." she said. Her eye wandered, scanning the darker depths of the forest beyond Azure's vision. Even the slightest sound caught her immediate attention. Azure sighed and gripped Kirin's handle. "By the way, where's Enra and Sonara?"

"... I thought they were with you. They were not airborne when I entered the portal."

"So they're alone?"

"... We should make haste. The Grimm are not the only threats in this forest now."

* * *

Dark, thick smoke gathered and swirled along the forest floor. It rose to a staggering height before it molded itself to a bulkier, humanoid form. The darkness cleared, and Enra stumbled out of the smoke. The remaining smoke fell from his rounded pauldrons. He recovered quickly, scanning his surroundings... or lack thereof.

Death struck the forest not too long ago. Charred, leafless trees reached their hands towards the skies. The grass had long since withered, leaving behind an ashen, brown battleground. No man's land, he surmised, _This is beyond immediate saving. Regardless…_

He continued searching. The lack of a certain redhead bothered him, especially when said redhead had made a sudden descent into the forest's dead zone. _Her curiosity will get her killed._ Enra moved on, brushing past the foliage that surrounded the burnt wasteland. As he moved the brush out of his eyes, he found his teammate seated in a clearing while staring at a roaming pack of Beowolves. Seeing how the Grimm had not noticed them yet, he silently crept to Sonara's side.

"You'd never catch a sight like this in Mistral," she said. "Kind of hard to believe that they have no soul, huh?"

Enra scoffed at the thought. He withdrew a vial of Dust and inserted it into his armor. A light flame breathed through the spaces between the plates that covered his arms and hands. The scent was caught by the Grimm, and, slowly, they started following it.

Sonara lightly chuckled. "I thought that'd be your answer!" She hopped to her feet and activated her gloves and boots. The sound of the fire erupting from her palms alerted the Beowolves, and they began running towards the two.

"Don't get in my way."

"Oh, don't be like that, Wolfie," she grinned.

"Wolfie?"

The second Enra was confused, Sonara dashed forward. She leapt into the pack and spun on her hands, spewing fire from her feet in a spiral. The Beowolves parted hastily, leaving a large number of them to the Faunus closing in. Enra coated the area in smoke and embers, lighting it ablaze after striking his gauntlets onto each other. The Grimm were burnt almost immediately, and Enra moved towards the next few. He swept their feet up with his tail and struck them with his fists. He kicked them towards Sonara, who froze their bodies and shattered them with an earthly kick. The pack that was once there was no more.

Sonara laughed. "Now _that_ was fun! I didn't know that your armor was Dust compatible. When we head back to campus, do you wanna find out what varieties of Dust work with it?"

Ignoring the curious glint in her eyes, Enra stormed deeper into the forest. "'Wolfie' is not my name."

"I know!", she explained as she followed behind him, "That's your nickname! You can thank me later."

Enra snarled in her direction, though Sonara neglected it. "To make it even, you can call me Sona. It's what all my friends call me."

The Faunus turned sharply towards her. His towering figure darkened beneath the shade of the trees, and he leaned closer to her face. "I. Am. Not. Your. Friend. I am your ally, and I will be sure to treat you as such."

Sonara laughed nervously, taking two steps back. "Ouch. You could've just asked, if that's how you want to do things. I'm a pretty good listener."

Enra said nothing more and continued walking through the forest. "Oh man. This is just like that sewer incident..." Sonara muttered before following the Faunus once more.

 _I wonder how Sparky's doing. I mean, Hunter did kick him off a cliff. He's probably much farther than us too. Maybe Hunter caught up with him... but that leaves me with the party pooper. It can't be that bad though! Look on the bright side: I'm his ally, which places me one step beyond acquaintance! I think that's a win in my book. Yeah, but it doesn't sound as nice as frie-_

Her train of thought ended abruptly when she walked into Enra's back. He failed to budge under the smaller girl's force. "Hey! Why'd we sto-"

Enra held his left fist up, effectively silencing Sonara. He then directed her eyes ahead of them.

Beyond the brush was a Deathstalker. The Grimm was actively searching for something outside of its cave to no avail. Regardless, it searched vigorously despite its massive size. Enra withdrew another Dust vial, one filled with yellowish Dust. He lowered his palm as he knelt down, signaling Sonara to follow suit. "Deathstalker..." he said with a sigh, "That cave's suspicious. It might be where the mentor is.."

When there was no reply, Enra turned to Sonara, who was kneeling beside him with a silent, neutral expression. "You don't need my permission to speak. I only require your cooperation."

"Oh! Thank goodness!"

The Deathstalker screeched, turning towards the duo kneeling in the brush. Enra's glare shot through Sonara, causing the girl to laugh. "I guess I got a little too loud."

"You _guess_?" he shouted.

They dashed out of harm's way, avoiding the stinger before it struck the ground. Enra inserted the Dust into his armor, and the lightning resounded off of the air. When the Grimm whipped its tail at him, he deflected the stringer and charged forward. His struck one of the Grimm's eyes, pumping lightning into its body. Feeling the Deathstalker's muscles convulse, he shouted, "Now's your chance!"

Sonara gripped the dirt before leaping into the air. Sustaining her flight with wind Dust, she dove down towards the Grimm with a lance made of stone. The lance managed to pierce its shell, but the Deathstalker shook her off before she could drive it even deeper. Its pincer caught Enra, but the Faunus, sifted through its grasp, coalescing a few meters away from it. Despite the hasty retreat, he staggered back due to the initial grab. Sonara, however, returned quickly. In her hand was a small stone that glistened with a reddish aura. She rushed the Deathstalker, chucking the stone beneath the Grimm's belly before leaping over its body. Narrowly avoiding the stinger with a well-timed burst of fire Dust, she landed on its other side, covering both ears.

Before Enra could question her, the small stone detonated, erupting in a fiery explosion that blew open the Deathstalker's shell from underneath it. The Grimm collapsed where it stood, and it immediately began dissipating.

"That was _amazing_!" Sonara cried out. She spun around, placing her hands on her hips. "Dude, did you see that explosion? It was so intense! We should seriously work together more often."

Enra regained his balance, dusted himself off, and crossed his arms. "A warning would've been appreciated."

"Come on! I know you thought it was awesome!" When Enra snarled at her, she added, "H-hey, punching it wasn't going to do anything anyway. Besides, it's not like we got hurt hurt or anything."

The Faunus relaxed momentarily to ponder. When he opened his eyes, he found her awaiting his response. "... There is no harm in what you've done. You thought before you acted, thus you did well."

"You... complimented me?"

"Don't get used to it, brat," Enra stated, turning towards the cave's entrance. Sonara then jumped with joy. "Woohoo! Praise! Yes!"

Just as her celebration began, Azure and Hunter broke into the clearing with their weapons drawn. When Azure saw the duo, one of whom was giddily prancing about, he lowered his blade and approached them. Enra caught Hunter in his peripheral, and he gestured her closer. As the two spoke, Azure placed his right hand on Sonara's shoulder, effectively ending her dance of joy despite the intense heat coming off of her. She made sure to explain her and Enra's short but eventful journey, mostly from her strange perspective; and although Enra could hear her, he refrained from speaking. Today was loud enough as it was.

Hunter returned to Azure and Sonara, and guided them closer to the cave's entrance. Before the team could enter, however, a man stepped out of the shadows. He dusted off his loose, burgundy button down and fixed his rounded, brown shades. "Well, ain't this a surprise?" he said, clapping his hands, "I'm gonna be honest, I didn't expect dinner and a show, but you Huntsmen and Huntresses never cease to amaze me."

Sonara narrowed her eyes, asking, " _Riiight_. And you are...?"

"... The troublesome one," Hunter groaned.

"Youch! That one actually hurt a bit, Hunter. Was I not who you were expecting?"

She remained silent despite the apparent frown on her face that spoke novels.

"'Once bitten, twice shy', as they say. Old habits really do die hard." He faced the rest of the group. "I'm Professor Mu, your go-to-guy for all your investigative needs. Just don't ruin the carpet when you enter my office - I worked really hard to afford that carpet."

Azure leaned towards Hunter. "Is he actually our mentor?" The veteran solemnly nodded in response.

Mu snapped his fingers and smirked. Throwing a fist high above his head, he shouted, "Alright, Team ASHE! Let's get this show on the road!"

"... What?"

* * *

 _A/N: Here's a small update from me to you:_

 _I was introduced to the RWBY Amino App not too long ago by a pal of mine and decided to make a profile. It isn't much as of right now, but I'm really enjoying lurking - I mean **perusing** \- the latest blog posts and art that is posted there. I won't try to sound like a salesperson anymore, but if you want to ever catch me anywhere on the internet, now there's one more place you can find me. Just look for 'Qrow_Silvermane'. The icon is of Azure wearing his Beacon uniform. Who knows? Maybe I'll set up a Q &A there._

 _Maybe._

 _Anyway, I won't bore you guys anymore. Ciao~ and Merry Christmas~_


	11. Ch11: Team ASHE

_We've broken the halfway point, everyone! Thank you all for sticking around for as long as you have. I appreciate the support. College still takes priority, but I guarantee that this fanfic will continue updating on a 'whenever-ly' schedule. Until next time!_

 _As always, RWBY belongs to the wonderful Roosterteeth and Monty Oum._

* * *

Chapter 11: Team A.S.H.E

"'What'? What do you mean 'What'?" Mu mocked with a wry grin. The three newcomers stood before him with expressions varying from surprise to confusion to a subtle but present hatred. Hunter was already seated before a bright feather on the forest floor, eye closed as she meditated silently. "Didn't you get the memo from the big man upstairs?" the professor asked.

 _Big man upstairs...? He means Ozpin, right?_ The thought lingered in Azure's head.

"Are you really our mentor?" Sonara inquired, "And if so, what's my name, quest, and favorite color?"

Mu laughed at the child, "That's an easy one, kiddo! Sonara Heart, cause mischief, and, surprisingly enough, cobalt."

"Oh gods, he's the real deal guys!"

"Hold on." Azure intervened. "What was with that 'Team ASHE' exclamation? Last I heard, we weren't Huntsmen and Huntresses."

"Glad you asked Blue!"

"My name's not-"

"Here's the dealio. Incognito's the game, kiddo; we gotta be discreet - all 'sneaky-beaky-like'. So I'm just gonna pass you guys off as some of the children in that playground of a campus. But, for you specifically, I'll draw out the technical terms. The first letter of a team name represents the team's leader, thus making you..." Mu extended his index finger towards Azure, poking his forehead. "The leader of this merry batch of moody teens plus one time bomb! Congratulations!"

Enra shut his eyes and himself out of the conversation whereas Hunter nearly lost her concentration at the phrase 'moody teens'.

Azure stood before Mu, rubbing where the professor had poked him. "Leader? Time bomb?"

A short "Hello" elicited from Sonara.

Mu stroked his chin slowly. "Trust me, Blue, I know how rough it is to be a good leader. It reminds me of how rough it was to escape that sewer. It gives me conniptions."

"You were stuck in a sewer too?"

Mu looked towards Sonara with a toothy grin. "Yeah. Can't remember it well, but I do remember wearing fashionable attire, similar to this one, at the time."

Sonara shoved her hand in her jacket's pockets. "Really? Many, that sucks!"

"Tell me about it! But, as my father always said, 'Dress to impress, or those filthy aristocrats in Atlas would win!" he spat, shaking his fist towards the heavens. Sonara looked skyward to view what he truly must have been shaking his fist at.

Azure watched the spectacle unfold, bewildered by the professor's... eccentric behavior to say the least. "I'm sorry, but I'll have to repeat myself. What?"

"... I would advise taking this conversation somewhere less hazardous," Hunter stated, standing after she opened her portal. "It took a few minutes, but Professor Ozpin's office awaits. Please refrain from being this rambunctious the next time I have to meditate on long distance travel; I am referring to you, professor."

With that said, she stepped into her portal and fell into the headmaster's office. The remainder of the team followed, and the portal vanished. As the team emerged, a throbbing headache beat itself through Hunter's skull.

Ozpin turned his attention to Mu, who had stumbled awkwardly onto his backside. The strange professor brought himself to his feet slowly before acknowledging the headmaster. "Ozzy! What's the haps?"

Hunter groaned under her breath. Although retrieving Mu was the plan, leaving him within that cave would have made her headache more tolerable.

The headmaster smiled warmly back at Mu. "It's good to see that you are with us, Professor Mu. How was your expedition?"

"Dank, moldy, grimy, and... dank. You can figure out the order."

"I see."

"But it was something else alright," Mu explained, "I would've liked to excavate a little more within the forest, but _somebody_ burned down an entire section! Do you know how many cameras I placed in that area alone?"

The team remained silent as Ozpin put his hand to his chin. "May I propose another course of action then? Surely you've received my messages regarding our new operatives."

"Of course, and, might I add, they are exceptional!" Mu spun around gracefully, facing team ASHE. "I mean, I held no expectations to begin with, so you've definitely raised the bar above zero, my friends; but I've seen better."

Mu stepped forward, sizing up the newly-formed team. With a soft hum, he snapped his fingers and turned to Ozpin. "I'll take 'em!"

"I figured that you would. I'll leave them in your capable hands." The headmaster said his goodbyes as the team departed from his office. When they reached the ground floor, Mu stopped them momentarily. He flicked his Scroll and looked over his messages.

"Hey-hey! Looks like your equipment's been delivered. The timing couldn't have been more convenient - it's like it was scripted to happen!"

Before the professor could start a tangent, Azure slowed him down. "Right, right, right. Uniforms and Scrolls. I got it. What I'm trying to understand is what just happened. What just happened?"

"What'cha mean, Blue?"

"Yeah, what's up, Sparky?"

Azure glared at the two of them from behind his glasses before focusing solely on Mu. "I want to know what exactly is going on here. Eclipse and their Huntsmen hunting aside, what game are you and Ozpin playing at?"

"I'm not sure where you're getting at, but I'm listening. Ask away."

"Team ASHE? Ozpin's secrecy? Why are we still left in the dark? I think we deserve a little more honesty than this."

The professor pursed his lips, and a thick and heavy silence droned around them. The team could have sworn they heard Mu's smile crack the air before he laughed. "'Honesty'?" he said, "Kiddo, trust me, I understand where you're coming from, and I mean _**I understand where you're coming from**_ ; but let's take this into another perspective, shall we? By the end of the day, you're still a kid - all four of you. Ask me that question after four years, and maybe I'll throw you a bone." Mu then headed for the hallway. "I'll shoot a message your way when I have some intel to share, but now's the time to study and get to know your peers. Happy hunting!"

He disappeared around the corner, leaving the team alone. Before Sonara could speak, the lights dimmed and flickered before reverting to normal. She instinctively turned to Azure, who wore a deep scowl on his face. "I'll be in the library," he said before muttering something about needing time to think.

"Well... that was fun!" Sonara exclaimed, "I don't get how Sparky's not excited, but I'm so looking forward to this - not the school part, though. That part sucks!"

Hunter lowered her head. "... I am just grateful that we returned safely, though I am inclined to excuse the professor's... 'behavior' on his behalf. He is difficult to read at times."

"Don't sweat it, Hunter! I think he's cool." A low grumble echoed through the corridor, low enough to trigger Hunter into her combat stance. Sonara leapt back with her hands raised defensively. "W-wait! It's just me!"

It took her a while to fully calm down, but Hunter sheathed her blade. She took a deep breath, ignoring the embarrassment that was evident on her face and her rapidly beating heart. "... W-we should make our way to the cafeteria before returning to our dorm."

"Woohoo! Snack time!"

* * *

After lunch, Sonara stumbled into the dorm room with Hunter leaning against her shoulder. Enra watched silently as the smaller girl carried the veteran to a chair. With ice pack in hand, Hunter pressed it against her head. It did not do much, but it was annoyingly cold. "I guess the phrase 'walk it off' wouldn't really be appropriate here," Sonara joked, much to Hunter's displeasure.

The veteran glanced over at the three uniforms and Scrolls on the desk she sat at. Assuming that Azure had taken his, Sonara jumped towards the door. "I'm gonna go bother Sparky! Be right back!"

"Sonara-" The redhead was gone before she knew it. Hunter fell back in her chair, groaning at the lingering pain. Her eye wandered to her bed full of unfinished books, and it slowly fell to Enra, who was staring directly at her. The two Fauna stared, and Hunter narrowed her eye. "... Is there something you need?"

Enra closed his eyes and shrugged silently. She accepted that as an answer, and she returned to focus on her pounding headache. The third uniform and Scroll still bothered her, however. Her sigh must have annoyed the wolf, and his attention snapped back to her. "What's wrong?" he asked.

Hunter did not bother looking his way, answering him simply and swiftly. "Nothing."

His silence took form, weighing heavily on her shoulders. She could almost hear him through it - hear what he was really asking. She stood to her feet and headed for the door. "... I will be taking my leave."

As she opened the door, a thick smoke gathered in front of her and shaped itself to Enra's form. The Faunus shook his head, causing Hunter to frown. "... I would rather not talk about it."

He did not move an inch. His curious yet sharp eyes fixed on Hunter.

"... Get out of my way," she threatened through clenched teeth.

Not another word was spoken between them, but that elicited a small chuckle from the wolf. Upon seeing Hunter unfazed and unwilling to stay, Enra kept things short and simple. "We need to talk."

The Faunus towering over her had the resolve to remain unmoving - Hunter knew that much. She backed away from the door, sitting down in the chair once more as Enra walked in. "Remaining silent will get us nowhere."

"... Says the silent one."

Enra snarled shortly before calming down. "I speak when necessary, almost like what you should be doing now." When Hunter remained silent, Enra looked towards the picture on the bookshelf underneath the window. "I'm certain that Zephyr would-"

"What would Zephyr do?" Hunter shouted, drawing Enra's full attention. "Because you certainly know him better than I do after you abandoned us!"

The door creaked open, and Hunter and Enra turned to see Sonara standing before them. The redhead wore a nervous smile. She laughed awkwardly. "I guess I walked in at the wrong time, huh?"

Enra closed an eye, crossing his arms and looking towards Hunter out of his peripheral. The veteran shot one last glare at him before storming outside of the room. "... Do not worry about me." Sonara moved out of her way as she left. "What was that all about?"

" _That_ was more trouble than needed for today."

* * *

Looking over his writing, Azure gave out a disgruntled sigh. After Sonara arrived, keeping the letter-to-be away from the girl became a mission. He would never hear the end of it if she knew about his mother and grandfather. He folded it into his pocket before slumping where he sat. _It's all for Gramps, Azure. Just gotta help Gramps._

"What'cha thinkin' 'bout?"

The question shocked the boy. He spun around, and before him stood the young man with the rather thick accent. He smirked and tipped his hat to him. "Fancy meetin' you here. I was curious 'bout Hunter's new partners."

Azure remained silent as the man approached him. He flipped the chair around and sat down with his arms crossed atop its back. "Pardon the intrusion, by the by. The name's Vegas. Consider me your personal pilot, appointed by the headmaster himself."

"Azure Bliksem," he replied.

"Bliksem, eh? That's not a name ya hear everyday." Vegas chuckled. "So, what'cha think'?"

"... What am I thinking...?"

"Yeah. Your thoughts. Looked like you were broodin', so I came around to give ya a good talkin' to. Great timin' too! It's just us two ops in the library; no one else is 'round, thankfully."

The boy sighed. "I don't think you'd believe me if I told you. It's been quite the challenge so far."

Vegas scoffed and smiled as he leaned forward. "Try me."

It was not often that someone made themselves available to listen to a sappy story, but Azure appreciated the effort. So he explained as much as he could about his situation, about his views on the academies, about as much as he could recall from the past month or so. He kept the knowledge of the black, speckled material of Slate's blade's habaki to himself, however. As he spoke, Vegas nodded, winced, and listened intently. He looked towards the table as his brow furrowed. When the story was over, he shook his head. "Well, I can see why you're so downtrodden, partner."

"Tell me about it."

"But I think you're in good hands."

Azure looked to Vegas, whose expression shifted from disturbed to relieved. "I know the school pretty well. I also know Hunter can be a little 'on edge', 'n Mu can be 'cut 'n dry' at times. But, at the end of the day, we're all partners, ain't we? We got differences, sure, but out there's a threat that only you ops and Huntsmen can handle."

"You say that as if..." It took a moment for Azure to realize it, but when he did, his jaw fell to the floor.

Vegas confirmed it for him. He tapped his chest. "That's right. There's not an ounce of Aura protectin' this pilot." He chuckled again before addressing Azure once more. "Listen, this school ain't just about trainin' Huntsmen and Huntresses. We protect 'em too, but not every able-bodied Huntsman can quit their work and be a hero. That just ain't happenin', so we have to rely on the you guys, the kids that ain't gonna die from a mission or by bein' old too soon, to take up the mantle. So how 'bout lookin' at things from another pair of eyes?" He pointed to his own before pointing towards his heart.

"You ain't only here to help your grandpa. You're here to protect these kids and us common folk, 'cause Huntsmen don't live forever."

He laughed as he stood from his seat. "Shoot. Daylight's wanin'. Hunter usually cuts me off when I ramble. She never did like my lecturin', not even durin' rehab."

Azure nearly missed what the man was saying. "W-wait! Slow down. What do you mean by 'rehab'? What happened to her?"

"Ya really want to know? It's kind of a touchy subject, Bliksem."

The boy clenched his teeth. "I don't care. I'm tired of all this secrecy. How can I protect someone when they won't tell me what the hell is wrong?"

Vegas took a second to think it over, and he smiled. "Now that's the spirit we're lookin' for!" He sat back down and leaned forward. "So, Azure Bliksem, what'cha wantin' to know 'bout Hunter?"

Azure pressed his lips into a thin line as he gathered his resolve. He steeled himself, knowing full well what he was getting into. The consequences, however, were shoved aside. He stared towards Vegas, and he spoke with a voice stronger and more commanding than before. It was a voice that reminded him of his father - a voice that reminded him of a true leader.

"Tell me **everything**."


	12. Ch12: A Small World Indeed

_RWBY belongs to the wonderful Roosterteeth and Monty Oum._

* * *

Ch. 12 A Small World Indeed

 _"Somebody kill me. Kill me_ _ **please**_ _." The girl slumped across her bed and whined softly into her covers._

 _Sitting at the desk propped against the wall, a boy laughed vigorously. "Let me guess, Professor Port gave you another 'talk', didn't he?"_

 _The girl threw a pillow over her lilac hair and pulled it even tighter over her head. "He just keeps talking! We weren't even talking about my grades! He was just - he was-" She buried her face into her bed some more and began kicking wildly as she screamed, all the while the boy was laughing. She raised her head, only for her green eyes to reveal themselves from her shell of a pillow. "Why're you still laughing? That's not funny, Leon!"_

 _"That's subjective," he said after a few more chuckles. The pillow was thrown, and though it hit his smug face, he continued to snicker. The girl turned towards the window and cupped her hands over her mouth. "Zephyr! He's doing it again!"_

 _When there was no answer, she called again. "Zephyr! I know you can hear me! Quit sitting on that branch and help me!"_

 _"It's as the saying goes," Leon gestured over towards the cluttered bed suspended in the air by ropes. "Birds of a feather and whatnot."_

 _A hardcover book fell on his head with a heavy thwump, nearly causing him to fall out of his chair. His tail soothed the bruise, and the girl smiled towards the hammock-like bed on the right side of the room. "Much obliged, Hunter."_

 _The ashen-haired Faunus closed her portal, and she leaned forward with a smile on her face. "Don't thank me just yet." Her eyes then snapped in Leon's direction. "Our poor little Leon deserves much more than that, no?"_

 _"You're right!" the girl shouted, "We'll give him a splinter!"_

 _Hunter frowned. "I'm certain that you can think of something far worse than that, Amy."_

 _Before she could think of anything else, Leon interrupted them. "W-wait! You had your revenge! Why're you attacking me now?"_

 _"For funsies," the girls said in unison._

 _"That's not fair!" Leon leaned to the side and shouted, "Ain't that right, Zephyr?"_

 _His response was silence, and the boy shouted, "Now's not the time for your reading! My life's on the line here!"_

 _Amy looked to Hunter with a mischievous gleam shimmering in her eyes. "Oh! I got one! How about we tie a bell of loose Dust around his tail?"_

 _"I like where your head's at."_

 _"You two are sadistic," Leon said defeatedly, slumping down in his chair._

 _"And you're not helping," she scolded with her hands on her hips. "If I'm going to be a Huntress, I'm going to have to take this seriously, and that's hard enough as it is."_

 _Leon grinned from ear to ear. "Well, you're just doing it wrong."_

 _"Huh?" Amy cocked her head to her side. "What do you mean?"_

 _"Sure, killing Grimm and saving lives is a serious business, but a laugh or two never hurt anyone. 'Laughter is the best medicine', as they say. So cheer up and relax a little; we've only got three years until we can really make Remnant a better place, after all."_

 _Amy stared down at her hands. "I-I guess that makes sense...?" She then turned to Hunter. "But I want to be like Hunter!"_

 _The owl jumped at the proclamation. "Eh?"_

 _Leon chuckled. "Same." Leon faced Hunter and smiled. "Hey, Captain! You'll have to show me some of your moves when we spar next time, okay?"_

 _A burning blush rose in her cheeks as she hid away from their sight. "Wh-What're you talking about? There's n-nothing special about me! Isn't that right, Zephyr?"_

 _A brief silence answered her before a black-haired vulture Faunus leaned into view from outside the window. "... Semblances aside, Professor Ozpin appointed you as our leader for a reason, Hunter. You are truly a skilled combatant, and I too would benefit from your training."_

 _"Then it's settled!" Amy said, hopping up from her bed. "We train with Hunter for the month!"_

 _"What?" The owl Faunus had no say in the decision. Leon stood to his feet and crossed his arms. "Alright. When and where?"_

 _"Amphitheater. Right now!"_

 _"_ _ **What**_ _?" Hunter repeated as they departed without her. Zephyr finally leapt into the room with a trail of black feathers following behind him, and he began to follow them. "Zephyr?" Hunter whined._

 _The Faunus turned to her. He gave Hunter a small smile and shrug. "... Perhaps you should consider this as karma for when we were younger." With that, he proceeded to leave the room._

 _Hunter clenched her teeth._ He's holding a grudge? Fine, let's-

'What would Zephyr do?'

 _The words rang out in her head. One moment, she was rising from her bed. The next, she was leaning against frosted metal in the dead of night with Zephyr lain across her lap. It hurt to cry. Her left eye stung and burned as its murky tears fell against Zephyr's cold, still face. With the Grimm howling in the distance, there was only one though that kept burrowing its way into her mind. 'What would Zephyr do?'_

 _'What would Zephyr do?'_

* * *

Hunter's eye shot open. That stinging pain lingered despite nine months of recovery. She held the eyepatch, avoiding any means of irritating the wound more, and opened a portal. She stepped into the bathroom. Despite the new trinkets that crowded the sink, Hunter effortlessly found the bottle of medicine she was prescribed to. Taking a two pills, she held her breath and lifted her eyepatch.

Months of practice made her routine more bearable than it used to. The screaming ceased, and she no longer required Glynda or Professor Peach's assistance. Regardless, it still took a significant portion of her schedule whenever her eye acted up.

She left the bathroom, sweat forming around her brow. As she grabbed her uniform, she glanced at the desk where three Scrolls and uniforms once were. Only two of each remained. When she glanced at the beds, Azure's was empty.

 _... Did he return last night?_ She discarded the thought and returned to preparing herself for class. It had been nearly an eternity ever since she last paid her professors a visit, and the thought of catching up to them was more refreshing than exciting. School was school, and though it did not directly involve Eclipse, her determination to become a Huntress still remained.

Not too long after she finished, Enra awoke. He looked her way, and they locked eyes. "... You do not have to sleep on the wall, Enra." she stated curtly.

He narrowed his eyes somewhat before shrugging. He then pushed himself off the wall. Hunter watched as he approached to take his uniform and Scroll, albeit with some surprise. The wolf ignored her bewilderment and marched towards the restroom.

"Oh! Hey, Hunter!" Sonara cheered suddenly, causing the veteran to jump in her seat. She glacially turned toward her teammate. "... Please do not startle me like that. It is six in the morning."

"Pfft! Better get used to it then, 'cause that's gonna happen for a while." She quickly scanned the room. "Where's Wolfie and Sparky?"

"... Enra is in the washroom as we speak. Azure is..." Hunter averted her eye and turned around. "... I am not too certain, but he most likely woke before me."

"Are you sure about that?" Sonara explained, "His bed's still the same from yesterday."

"... What?" Hunter looked to Azure's bed. It was just as neat as he had left it, though the five rocks beneath his blanket were new. Before Hunter could comment, Sonara giggled. "I was gonna prank him, but he never showed up. Maybe he passed out in the library?"

. _.. But he definitely walked in here. His uniform and Scroll are gone. I wonder if he's-_

"Aw man!" Sonara shouted, "Even his box is gone!"

Hunter spun around and looked at the luggage that was piled into the corner. Indeed, the locked box was missing. As odd as it was for Azure to return and depart as quickly as he did, all Hunter could do was sigh at the headscratcher. "... I am certain that he has an explanation for this. Regardless, we should prepare ourselves for our morning courses."

"Oh yeah. Is Hamster-Stache Guy going to be our morning professor?"

The moniker managed to get a small laugh out of Hunter, but she shook her head. "... Though he would be your morning professor, his course was assigned to the freshmen yesterday. He will not be teaching today, unfortunately."

"So who do we have for a professor?"

"... I believe his name is Oliver Duncaster. He is proficient in fusing Dust to create new types of ammunition and resources."

Sonara's excitement drained somewhat as her eyes fell to her bed-sheets. "Oh. That's, err, cool, I guess."

"... Is there something wrong, Sonara?"

Hunter's Scroll blipped quickly. A male silhouette with bright glasses took up the screen without the Huntress' authorization. From it, a voice carried. "Can you hear me now? Anyone? If this is Peter again, I do not want to hear about the time you saved-"

"... Azure?"

"Hunter? Oh. Thank goodness. You have no idea how difficult it was to make this channel operational."

Hunter grabbed her Scroll and scanned the screen that had appeared. "Don't worry," Azure reassured, "I simply minimized the previous screen. All of your applications are secure; I can't even look at them."

Sonara leaned into the Scroll's view as Hunter steadied the device. She let out a soft 'ooooooooh' as Hunter asked, "... So... you can see us?"

"Yep. I managed to disable my camera since tapping into these Scrolls isn't too difficult."

 _... That is... rather disturbing_ , she thought with a raised brow. "... Was this something that Professor Ozpin or Professor Wildrose instructed you to do?"

"Nah. I'm just making sure that we keep our operation under wraps. We wouldn't want anyone else to blow our cover, would we?"

"... And you are certain that this is safe?" Hunter asked timidly, "I had some very important documents on here that I'd rather not have corrupted."

Azure chuckled. "Never underestimate a technomancer. Anyway, I should probably log off now. I'll see you guys in class." He disconnected, and Hunter's Scroll returned to normal. As she checked her documents, Sonara cheered. "That's so cool! We're bending the rules! Next time, we'll break them for sure!"

"... We are not breaking the rules, Sonara," Hunter noted, "We are... simply adhering to Professor Wildrose's intentions."

The younger girl could feel the uncertainty in Hunter's voice, and she smirked confidently. " _Riiiiight_ , and Clover's my little brother." Sonara leapt to her feet, swiping her uniform and Scroll. She squealed, "I can't wait! This is going to be the best day ever!"

* * *

"This is literally the worst day ever!" she cried. Before her was the door leading into the classroom, and at her sides were Azure with his glove and boots donned and an Enra with his face shrouded by an orange scarf.

Azure glanced her way with Scroll in hand. "It's school. What did you expect?"

"I expected more rule-breaking!" she admitted wholeheartedly. She slammed her head against the door and groaned sorrowfully. "I don't even have Clover with me. I can't do school without Clover..."

She remained glued to the door until Azure escorted her off of it. He reassured her as he walked her into the classroom. "H-hey, it's our first day. Sure, you don't have Clover and Hunter's a sophomore, but the beginning assignments shouldn't be too strenuous."

"It's not the assignments. It's the boredom that comes with it..." She reached into her bag and withdrew a packet of ice cream. Before she could heat up, she downed the packet and reached for another. Enra began to follow, but a voice caught his attention.

"So, uhm, Weiss, do you still have that brochure?"

His ear twitched when he overheard the student speaking to her peer. The name rang a bell, and he listened intently with eyes closed.

The supposed team was approaching the classroom; their hooded comrade was following behind her teammate, who walked with an air of grace. Their blonde teammate casually followed at her own pace with their final member not too far behind them. The white-haired student did not look her way when she answered. "It's a guidebook, Ruby, and yes. Yes I do have the guide."

The girl with red highlights and the red hood cheered. "Thank you, Weiss!"

"I never said that you could use it in class, you dolt."

"What?"

Weiss spun around on her heel and placed a hand on her hip. "This is our second day as students and our first day in this course. I won't have you cheating during a period where you're supposed to be learning from a professor."

"But don't worry, Ruby," the blonde threw an arm over the younger student, "It's not not the end of the world. It's just a _Dun_ -saster." The group collectively groaned, and the black-haired teammate commented, "It's probably for the best that she gets them out of her system."

"Yes, but not in front of us..."

"Oh, come on! You gotta admit that one was funny." The team continued onward, following Weiss as they approached the room, and Enra marched inside before the hall became too crowded.

The students quickly gathered into the round, pit-like room, though one Faunus in particular preferred to stand in the back of the class. When the kid in front of him questioned why he did not sit, Enra snarled at him, effectively ending the conversation. While Sonara laid her head against the long desk, Azure waited patiently with one hand over the other and a straight posture. Glancing about the room, he noted the posters displaying several varieties of Dust hanging on the walls of the room. A few parchments sat atop the professor's desk. Looking upon it, Azure scowled. Something was off.

 _Where's the professor?_ he pondered. Two minutes had already passed since class began, and the third was approaching. When the third minute was struck, the students that had not busied themselves with conversing also noticed the missing professor. What was once mindless chatter gradually grew in volume. Meanwhile, the students that had realized how late it was becoming, started to grow curious. Just as Sonara prepared to sleep, metal squeaked in a rhythmic pattern before suddenly stopping with a sharp clank. The class fell silent as a suited man fell backwards into the classroom.

"Ah. What a _Dun_ -der." He remained lying on the floor for a while longer, eyeing the curious and somewhat disgusted faces that hung in his vision. One face in particular seemed offended by his attempt at a joke. He scratched his head with a neutral expression. _Perhaps children are not as fond of puns, nowadays._

His eyes quickly darted to Ruby, who shrunk in her seat when her eyes met his glossy but dull green orbs. His thin lips kept their form, but, despite his sickly complexion and anorexic figure, he spoke with a firm accent that could have literally been drowned in sophistication. "You, my dear, are definitely an odd one, are you not?"

Ruby rose somewhat before answering him. "U-um... Maybe?"

The man then looked at the remainder of the room before addressing the class. "Allow me to introduce myself. I am-"

"Sir?" Azure interrupted, "Sorry, but... do you want to stand up?"

"Pardon?"

"You're still lying on the floor, professor," Weiss explained, pointing towards the ground below.

The professor glanced at the floor before slowly bringing himself to his feet. He dusted off his green and black, striped tailcoat suit and fit his similarly colored top hat onto his grey, horned head. Once he had situated himself, he took his chair and wheeled it into the classroom before sitting on it once more. He rolled himself to the middle of the room and faced the students. "Allow me to introduce myself. I am Professor Oliver Duncaster," he stated as if the events prior had not happened, "I will be your instructor in Dust studies; here is where you will learn how to craft a variety of Dust types and utilize them as ammunition. Before we begin, do you have any questions?"

The room was silent for all but one second before the professor said, "Very well. Do pay close attention to the board, my dear students. I dislike having to repeat myself." He turned to the whiteboard behind him, and he began with the history of Dust.

As he spoke, Sonara lazily slumped over, resting her head against the desk as she nodded off.

* * *

 _"Who's Zephyr? Do you and Hunter 'know-each-other' know each other? Are you two-"_

 _"No." Enra snarled and shook his head. "Of all the people to walk in now..."_

 _Despite what he thought, Sonara was sitting upright on the edge of Azure's bed, giving him her full attention. Despite her more than sudden interrogation, she was undeniably curious; the subtle but concerned look in her eyes told him. She probably saw a similar look in Enra's, and the Faunus gathered a breath before he decided on his answer._

 _"Zephyr was a childhood friend of ours. He and I were practically oppressed by Hunter until she started growing soft on us."_

 _Sonara laughed, covering her mouth to keep her voice down. "Hunter was a_ _ **tyrant**_ _?"_

 _Enra could not help but chuckle at the memory. "She was more of a ruffian. In the orphanage, she made it clear that she was not to be trifled with. In hindsight, I can see why; bird Faunus don't have the means to hide from the public, so she had to toughen up against the world. Zephyr, however, was too gentle to bother arguing against humans. Gun to my head, we were a trio to be reckoned with, give or take Zephyr."_

 _The redhead jumped in her seat. "And so you came here to fight Grimm, right?" When Enra paused before his answer, Sonara shrank a little. "Um... right?" she repeated meekly._

 _"They were the ones that left. I didn't. Someone had to look after the Faunus that grew beside us - abandoning them was not an option, especially after they had already been abandoned by the world. Years later, I heard from a Huntsman in Vale that Zephyr had died..."_

 _Enra eyed the photo of team HAZL that stood on the desk in front of the window. "... That's what they say, at least; no one likes the word 'murdered', I suppose."_

 _"'Murdered'?" The joy was sapped from Sonara's voice and body._

 _The Faunus nodded. "Eclipse. Those White Fang extremists killed Hunter's entire team; I can't even imagine how she managed to escape. But it's as the headmaster says: 'They target Huntsmen and Huntresses specifically', and the last thing I want is Hunter or any other Faunus to be harmed or shunned because of them or their actions."_

 _He waited momentarily for Sonara to say anything, but the girl's voice had left her. With a shrug, he stepped back and leaned against the wall he slept on. "Best not bring this up with Hunter. She'd more than likely distance herself if she knew I told you, and that's the last thing she needs." He closed his eyes._

 _"... I'll... I'll just have to keep her close then, right?" Sonara replied with a smile. In spite of what she had learned, she managed to smile past it. Enra opened an eye, glanced at his teammate, and he scoffed. "Actions speak louder than words, Sonara."_

* * *

Mu's Office…

The eccentric professor sat at his desk with a mug of steaming hot tea in his hand. He glossed over his black Scroll and leaned back in his cushioned chair to achieve optimal comfort. Sipping from the mug, he eyed the team's profile that was displayed on his screen and nodded. "Maybe a field trip would be nice."

The mahogany doors leading into his small but furnished office were thrown open, and Mu casually smirked. "Morning, Glynda."

The professor rolled her eyes. In a forcefully calm voice, she replied, "Wildrose."

"Still not on a first-name basis? That's cool. So what's the Wicked Witch of Oz want with this commoner?"

Ignoring his vernacular, Glynda kept the conversation precise and short. "Professor Ozpin would like to have a word with you." She turned and walked out, digging her heels into the carpet. Mu launched out of his seat, screaming, "Hey! I said _don't_ walk on my carpet! Do you know how long it took me to afford that?" His cries went unheard as she slammed the doors behind her.

Mu sank back into his chair, and he looked at his Scroll again. "... Yeah, a field trip would be nice."

The professor made his way to Ozpin's office. The elevator dinged when the doors slid open, and Mu sauntered into the office. "Ozzy! What's up?" he greeted, ignoring Glynda outright. The headmaster's assistant continued to ignore him as Ozpin acknowledged his presence. "Professor Mu, do you know why I called you here?"

"Other than the fact that my Scroll's security's the bomb?" Mu gave himself a few seconds to think before shrugging. "Not really."

"Actually, it is because of your Scroll that I ask how comfortable you are with the thought of distributing those models to your team." Ozpin inquired.

Mu blinked twice, taken aback by the question. "'How comfortable'? Ozzy, these things aren't cheap. They're worth more than a decent sum of money, if you catch my drift."

"Is that so? Glynda told me that you had enough Lien in your office to purchase four of them."

"What? I don't have..." Mu shut his mouth, and his gaze snapped to Glynda. "Not cool, brah. That carpet's staying with me."

Glynda nearly broke her Scroll in half as she huffed. "You're insufferable."

"And you're gorgeous."

"I don't want to hear that from you."

"Then who do you want to hear it from? Oh, please, do tell."

"Why did you hire this maniac, again?" she asked the headmaster.

"Fraternization gets me nowhere, huh? How sad."

Ozpin clasped both hands in front of himself. "I suppose this means that you aren't comfortable with that idea then?"

"... It's kind of the opposite, really." Mu threw his hands behind his head, and his eyes gazed towards the ceiling. "I have the money. I just don't want to talk to Scilla alone. That lady scares me like those Vacuo broads do. Do you know what they do to people like me?"

"No," Glynda intervened, "And we would like to keep it that way."

The headmaster sighed. "You may contact her whenever you must, but-" A raised hand cut Ozpin off. Mu gave the headmaster a hearty smile, shoving his hands in his pockets. "I know, captain. The kids will get their toys eventually. I'll just have to wash my tongue after speaking with her." Mu turned around and headed for the elevator.

"I'm honestly more curious about you, Mu."

The professor stopped. He slowly turned to face Ozpin, who wore a soft yet sorrowful expression. "I have a feeling that something's troubling you. Is everything alright in Lumen?"

Mu chuckled, and then he started to laugh. "So that's why you called me up here. That's pretty clever."

"Mu, is everything alright in Lumen?" Ozpin repeated, "If not for my sake, then for your da-"

"Everything's fine, Oz." Mu gave the headmaster a warm smile. "Have some faith in me. I've been keeping tabs on the little province. I'm the guy with eyes and ears _aaaall_ over Remnant, remember. If anything were to happen in Lumen, I would be the first to hear it."

Mu turned back around, finally entering the elevator. The doors shut behind him, and the lift began its descent to the first floor.

Glynda looked to Ozpin for but a moment before returning to her Scroll. "I won't deny that his role is important, but why make him a professor?"

"For the same reason I enrolled the students: To protect them."

* * *

Mu stepped out of the elevator, and, as he made his way back to his extravagant office, he saw a certain ashen-haired student in her white coat and uniform walking by. She noticeably winced when she saw him, and the largest grin grew on his face. "Well, well, well..." he began as he approached.

He stopped a few feet in front of Hunter. The girl averted her eye, and Mu chuckled. "Still avoiding me, Hunter? Doesn't matter if you do or you don't; there's always going to be some kind of _roadblock_ in our paths, am I right?"

"... Let us not bring my peers into this matter," she replied, walking past the professor. Mu stood silent for a second, and then he laughed. "You're absolutely right! You're a genius! Let's not waste our breath in the school." He quickly spun around and pointed at Hunter. "Tell the gang that their going on a field trip! I'll give the call as to when."

Hunter raised a brow, but she let the man have his moment and walked away without another word. The professor lowered his arms and sighed. He looked towards the windows, reflecting silently with himself. After another moment or two, he continued his walk to his office in peace.


	13. Ch13: Field Training

_Lucky Number 13!_

 _RWBY belongs to the wonderful Roosterteeth and Monty Oum._

* * *

Chapter 13: Field Training

From the shadow casting over his face, an almost sinister smile formed. He took a sip of his tea and spoke into his Scroll. "You don't say? And he's in town?"

After another brief pause, Mu quietly laughed. "Oh, how everything falls so perfectly into place. I'll hit you up when I need something new. Later." The professor closed his Scroll and fell back in his chair with a loud sigh. _Progress_ , he thought. Looking towards his half-empty cup of tea, he frowned. The sap from Forever Fall Forest always made his tea exceptionally sweet, but looking into the mug now reminded him of his current predicament.

He was out of sap.

 _The kiddies should be fetching some more on behalf of the good professor tomorrow, and the Wicked Witch is going with them. Maybe now's a better time than ever._ Mu threw his hands behind his head and chuckled softly.

* * *

The next morning…

An almost blissful silence filled the corridors of Beacon Academy; that was the first thing Azure noticed as he marched towards his mentor's office. The halls of the school were moderately empty due to the freshman class' departure to Forever Fall Forest. Despite being what he cared for in the beginning, it felt odd to be separated from so many Huntsmen. _Maybe it's better this way_ , he pondered before entering the room.

Hunter, Enra, Sonara, and Vegas were already stationed throughout the small and narrow office. The latter, who had miraculously found a chair to sit in, tipped his head to Azure. "Howdy."

Sonara waved from atop the box she sat atop. "Welcome back to the land of the living, Sparky!"

"H-Hey. What's the issue?" Azure asked.

Though Enra shrugged, Hunter spoke up from the corner she stood in. "... We do not know. The professor has been remaining silent to build up tension."

"He wouldn't even tell me, 'n I'm your pilot."

All eyes then focused on Mu, who was sitting behind his desk with his Scroll being the only source of light shining on his face. "He's been sitting like that ever since Hunter and Vegas walked in," Sonara admitted. "It's kinda impressive."

Finally, Mu spoke up. "Serious faces, kids. This is going to be a tough one." He slid his Scroll forward, and the device projected a series of images in the air. A picture of a man with short, spiked blonde hair and a few images of what appeared to be a hangout of sorts filled the air. "As it turns out, one of my informants went A.W.O.L. and disappeared on me. What makes it worse is that he's my best source of intel. Good news: I got word that he's here in Vale. Bad news: We don't know where he is exactly. The bastard may be cunning, but he might have left a good trail for you guys to follow. He was last seen in Junior's Club, a pretty nice hangout in the Commercial District. Your mission is to find him and bring him to me alive. I doubt you could kill him, but I _really_ need this bastard alive right now, okay?"

"Is there anything we should know about him?" Azure asked.

"Just don't believe everything you see, hear, feel, smell, or taste. You'd never know that if you've never been to Vacuo, so you can thank me later."

"Umm... did something happen to you in Vacuo?" Sonara questioned with a hand raised.

Mu shook his head. "That's another story for another time. Just finish the mission and report back to me; you know how these fetch quests go." With that, he leaned back in his chair and shooed the team out lazily. "Now go. You're free now. Kick his ass once for me. I don't care. I'll send Vegas the rest of the intel before you head out."

"... Language," Hunter warned, to which Mu shrugged with open arms. "Does Coco care? If the answer's no, why should I?"

Hunter reached for the door, rolling her eye as she did so. "... Of course." She left the office with the rest of the team following suit. Vegas closed the door behind him and sighed. "He's always throwin' the bulk to me. I didn't do anythin' to deserve this."

"Does it matter?" Sonara clasped her hands together. "I finally get to take my babies on a field trip! It's been forever since I could punch something!"

"... Something about that felt off, did it not?"

Azure looked to Hunter and shrugged. "Couldn't tell you, but we should get going." He then turned his attention to Vegas and asked the man, "Can you drop us off near Junior's Club? I think I have a theory."

"A... theory?" Vegas mused.

"Yeah. A theory. A concept that requires further testing to validate. I have one of those."

"Do you have brain blasts too, Sparky?" Sonara quipped, "Because we're probably going to need those too."

To her amusement, Azure replied. He raised a brow and frowned somewhat with his hand on his chin. "What's a 'brain blast'? It sounds unhealthy and lethal."

"Pfft! Then you've got nothing to worry about! We're going to be doing the blasting, so let's hurry it up! I'll race you!"

Sonara dashed towards the locker room in cheerful glee. Hunter could not help but laugh at the girl's excitement. Admittedly, the quirky redhead had made quite the impression on her. Her positivity was contagious, and the veteran knew how deadly it was. _… I cannot blame her for being as excited as she is. Perhaps I should introduce Velvet to-_

A short but heavy cough broke her train of thought. Hunter spun around, finding Enra looking towards Azure with a similar, confused look. "... Azure?"

"Can you stand?" Enra asked him.

Another cough escaped his throat, but Azure squeezed his eyes shut nodded silently. The wolf gave him a small nod. "Then stand behind us. Whatever theory you have, tell us when you can speak clearly."

"R-Right."

As Enra made his way to the locker room, Hunter approached her leader. "... Should I inform Mu that you may not be joining us?"

"It's nothing. Seriously," Azure reassured. "I'm tagging along."

"... Do not push yourself. I would prefer it if you did not-"

"'Bring harm to yourself'. I know." Azure chuckled somewhat before stepping past her. "Heh. You sound just like my mom. But it can't be helped; ever since the festival, this is was my fight too."

Confused, Hunter turned towards Azure. "... 'You know'? Am I... that readable?"

"Don't worry about it. Let's just take care of the mission." Azure leisurely followed in Enra's tracks, and, after some contemplation, Hunter followed in tow.

* * *

The team returned to the docks, clad in their combat attire and equipment. Enra rolled his neck after re-adjusting to the weight of his armor. In broad daylight, it became all too obvious that their silent teammate's choice of weaponry had been damaged. What could only be assumed to be Dust reservoirs, channels, and a flexible spine guard were split, torn, and broken behind the Faunus' back. Azure eyed the armor, but he figured that the wolf would only get angry if he were to ask any questions; for the time being, he remained silent, rubbing soothing circles on his head.

Sonara leaned forward and looked Azure's way. "I heard from Wolfie that you're not feeling good? You sure you're ready?"

With a light chuckle and a shrug, Azure smiled before her. "Heheh. If I'm sick, I won't have to worry about smell or taste when we face this informant."

"What? That's not fair! You're cheating without me!" The redhead spun to Hunter, pointing at Azure. "I want whatever Sparky's got!"

Hunter could not help but laugh a little. "... I am afraid that I cannot help you. Besides, an illness is something that is only controlled under specific circumstances."

"That, and you probably wouldn't like it anyway," Azure explained, "You'd have to eat less ice cream and drink more medicine. This would also mean frequent visits to the nurse, depending on the severity of the sickness."

The redhead froze up, her arm lowering to her side. She took an exaggerated step away from Azure and shook her head. "N-No thanks. I prefer living."

A rush of wind cut their conversation short as a much sleeker, more compact aircraft landed. The doors opened, revealing enough room for, at most, five people. The window facing the team lowered into the door, revealing Vegas in the pilot's seat. He threw an arm over the door and yelled, "Like what ya see?"

Sonara, surprisingly enough, was not the first to be in awe at the sight of such a marvelous design. Azure had vanished from where he once stood, nearly resembling Oobleck with how fast he moved about the vehicle. "Incredible! I don't think I've seen anything like it! Granted, I haven't seen much, but this is far beyond my expectations! How did they even manage to build this masterpiece? What's her name? Where are her Dust repositories? How fast can she go? Tell me the specs, Vegas!"

"Hey, don't you go lookin' for my darlin's Dust repositories! That stuff's off limits!"

"You know, I almost forgot that he was younger than us for a while," Sonara admitted to the two Faunus as she approached the aircraft. She cupped her hands and shouted, "So how high can you fly this thing? I want to go skydiving!"

Vegas nervously chuckled, raising his hands in defense. "O-One question at a time, kids. Ya'll are gonna run me ragged at this rate."

Azure snapped his fingers, and a spark of lightning shot out from his head and sat on his arm. "I got it! I'll just use my Semblance!"

"You do that, and I'm droppin' you in the ocean!"

As the two eccentric members of team ASHE continued to pester Vegas about his darling, Hunter began to snicker. Then she chuckled. Then she laughed heartily. She brought a hand to her mouth, but that failed to cover her reddened face as she watched from the sidelines. When the nostalgia hit her, joyful tears began welling up in the corners of her eye.

Enra's eyes followed her, but he said nothing and shut them. Instead, he sighed softly. _She seems to be enjoying herself. Good._

When the two noticed Vegas' expression soften and attention focus on Hunter, they followed his gaze. Azure let a smile form on his face, and he relaxed somewhat. In hindsight, he had never seen the Huntress genuinely happy. Knowing about what she had to endure for the past nine months, he felt an odd sense of fulfillment rise from within him.

Sonara grinned from ear to ear. "What's got you in such a good mood, Hunter?" she asked.

The veteran gathered her bearings before replying. "... I've... I have no idea what you are talking about." In spite of her efforts to quell her laughter, a smile seemed to permanently stick to her face as she walked into the vehicle. "... Did the professor send you the intel, Vegas?"

With a nod, he pulled up the information regarding Mu's AWOL informant. As the team gathered into the aircraft, several images shimmered into existence from the floor projector in the center of the cabin. The first of many was the informant's name, Jacob Svann. "This guy was once a Huntsman before becoming an informant for Mu. After years of service, Jacob was reported to be MIA prior to intel stating that he was now working as an apothecary. Last seen in Junior's Club, he may have left a trail leading straight to him, but keep your distance, you guys. His Semblance causes the senses to go all haywire. You might see or hear some things that aren't really there, so stay focused."

"A misdirecting Semblance..." Azure rubbed his chin. He looked towards the cockpit before he recalled his theory. "We're still stopping off at Junior's Club, right?"

"Feeling a little frisky, Sparky?" Sonara quipped.

"No."

Vegas chuckled. "He's probably itchin' to test out that theory of his. To be honest, I'd like to see it myself, but I can't leave my darlin' here. I'll keep flyin' 'round 'til you need me."

"... Then let us begin our search."

The aircraft hovered deeper into the Commercial District, droning loudly above Junior's Club. The noise drew the attention of a few of the black-suited bouncers standing at the front doors. At first, they appeared shocked and timid, but they steeled themselves again when they saw the passengers within the vehicle.

When the team departed from the aircraft, Azure approached the guards. He reached into his larger sleeve, retrieving a small card to present to them. The guards both eyed the card before giving each other a nod of approval, and they stepped aside.

"Is this how the clubs in Vale?" Sonara pondered aloud, "This one looks so... run down."

"That's because someone trashed the place months ago," Azure explained, returning the card in his sleeve. "They've been on edge since then, so, word of advice, don't talk about anything or anyone blonde in front of Junior. He might get a little tense."

"... You say that as if you met him."

Silence gripped Azure's tongue before he smiled nervously and shrugged. "... Azure, were you, by any chance, affiliated with this organization?"

"Hey, they needed help, and I needed money. Almost everything in this club has power running through it - power that I can tap into to mitigate some of the damage. This was a calling!"

Azure spun around, opening the doors to the still-broken club. As he had mentioned, the interior gave the impression that the club had indeed seen worse. Construction blocked off the dance floor, and several glass panes were being replaced as the team walked inside. Behind the counter was a man who was, more or less, as broken as his club was. He had his hands over his head, and he was muttering something beneath his breath. The moment he saw, Azure, however, he shot up. "Bright-Eyes! Welcome back."

"... Bright-Eyes?"

The boy in question turned towards his team, all of whom were immediately taken aback by the strange moniker. His shoulders rose, and he shook his head, mouthing, "What?" Azure turned back to the man and sighed. "How's the club doing, Junior?"

"Seen better days, but we're making it. So what's got you coming back here? Business, or..." Junior's eyes shifted onto the group behind Azure, and he leaned forward somewhat to speak with the boy personally. "... 'Business'?"

"The former. We're looking for a man named Jacob Svann. He was reported of being here not too long ago."

Junior raised a brow. "Don't think I know him."

"Tall, blonde, wears a ridiculous outfit."

"Sort of like what you're wearing?"

"Shots fired!" Sonara shouted from the back.

Azure frowned slightly, and his brow straightened. The smallest sign of electrical energy crept out from his head, causing the grown man to take a step back. "Alright, alright. Take it easy, Bright-Eyes. Luckily for you, I know the gent well enough; he's not the kind of customer we want back in the club."

 _It seems that way with every blonde you meet..._ "I'll need to check the feed of the security cameras around the building's interior and exterior. You wouldn't mind that, would you?"

"As long as you don't go snooping around in my business. You remember where it is, right?"

"Uhm... The DJ's booth?" Azure replied nervously, to which Junior facepalmed. "Upstairs. In the back. The girls will show you there," he explained, jutting a thumb directly above his head. Azure thanked the man before hurrying towards the stairs. On his way, he found the twins, one dressed in a fanciful white dress whereas the other was donned in a red dress. From where Hunter stood, their brief conversation was inaudible, but the girls had responded to him in a similar fashion before guiding him upstairs.

"I'm guessing that you're his pals?"

Hunter turned her attention back to Junior and nodded, though Sonara was the one to orally answer him. "Yup! We go way back. I think I met him once before the festival. Now we're a team!"

A small murmur left through Enra's mask as Junior eyed the three of them. When he connected the dots, his mouth and eyes briefly widened in realization, gesturing the universal sign of 'Oh'.

"So you're with the academy? That's kinda funny, seeing how Bright-Eyes tagged along."

"What does that mean?"

The man chuckled at Sonara's question. "A month ago, the kid asked if I would pay him if he helped fix the club. 'Aren't you a little young to be wanting a job here', I asked. He said he was, but he insisted on it - said it was for his family or something. So I let him help for a week but I couldn't help but think he was a Huntsman with that thing on his back. Turns out that he wasn't; he really doesn't like that academy's principles."

Before any of them could speak, Junior, glanced nervously towards the room he directed Azure to. "He sure is taking his sweet time though."

"What's he doing?"

"He's using that little quirk you kids have. Bright-Eyes touches some tech and 'jacks into it'; his words, not mine. It connects to his brain, and he controls it with synapses. He said lots of others things too, but it was all jargon to me. I just know that he controls technology with it."

Sonara winced at the truth of the matter. "Sounds... painful."

"Yeah. He can barely function while doing it. Guess it requires a lot of concentration."

A familiar voice boomed from the speakers within the room they stood in, causing the Hunter, Sonara, and Junior to flinch. "Yes! It takes _a lot_ of concentration!"

The trio then remained silent until Azure returned. He was rubbing the dull yet weighty headache away as he approached. The twins followed closely before moving to Junior's side. "Seriously, you have no idea how problematic it is to force your brain into a machine. It's like being assimilated into the world's smartest toddler ever; you can do everything you're told to do and still manage to get food on your face. It's too... specific."

The redhead rubbed the back of her head with a relatively apologetic smile on her face. "Sorry, Sparky."

More could have been said, but there was little time. Looking towards Junior, Azure lowered his glasses, glaring at him with glowing, bronze eyes. "And I'll be speaking with you later, Xiong," he hissed. The man, and a few of his goons, shrank somewhat before Azure turned to the twins. "Melanie. Miltia. I might need your help to-"

"Say no more, Bright-Eyes," Melanie, the one dressed in white, stated abruptly. "Let's go, Miltia." Her sister nodded silently before following Melanie out the door.

His glasses fixed onto his face, Azure turned his attention to his team. "Svann was last headed East. I picked up something about 'resting before heading for Vacuo'. We should catch up with Melanie and Miltia before they find him; I doubt they know his Semblance well enough."

Although it was the more unpopular decision among the remaining options she thought of at that moment, Hunter steeled herself and obliged. She and the rest of the team followed their leader out of the club, after which Azure gave them his plan. The group would split up, effectively creating three search parties with Melanie and Miltia being one of them. One party, however, became stalled almost immediately after being formed.

Hunter stared as Sonara analyzed the menu in front of a restaurant named The Auburn Vale. Her eyes were glazed over by the promise of a variety of ice cream flavors, and she turned to grab her teammate's hand. "Hunter!" she squealed. "We need to try out their sundaes!"

The veteran attempted to pull back, but at the risk of revealing the wing strapped underneath her cloak, she firmly planted her feet on the ground. "... I-Is now the time for this?"

"Yes! Of course! When's it _not_ a time for dessert?"

"... But we need to find-"

"They got this! Besides, Sparky's got the scent, and I barely get to hang out with girls anyway. Let's just hang out and de-stress for a sec - just us gal-pals!"

Hunter narrowed her eye, glaring at the younger girl. "... Please do not refer to me as a 'gal-pal'."

"Then it's a date! Let's go, Hunter!"

"Wha-" To her surprise, Sonara was far stronger than Hunter imagined. The redhead showed no signs of struggle as she literally dragged Hunter into the restaurant by the hand.

They spent a reasonable amount of time seated at one of the tables outside, the louder of the two ordering her desserts whereas the other ordered a small cup of coffee; today was going to be a long and dangerous one. The girls were sitting in enemy territory, an unfavorable spot to be dining in. _... Why did she take me here now of all times?_ Hunter wondered.

She took a sip of her coffee, staring in mild bemusement at how much the smaller girl had already eaten. In spite of this, she noticed the thought-provoking look in her friend's eyes. She glanced down at the ice cream that remained in her large bowl; even her stomach tightened at the sight of how much was left. "... Are you certain that you want to eat all of that?"

Sonara shook her head, but her eyes were focused solely on the food in front of her. "No, but I have to. Clover said that I need to eat everything on my plate to get stronger, so I can't give up. Not now."

In all of her time being Sonara's teammate, Hunter realized that she never saw the girl with such a determined expression. It was not the first time, however, that she had heard that name, and only once before had it sparked the girl's interest like a fuse in a light bulb.

"... Do you and Clover... see each other often?"

Sonara jumped, squeaking loud and clear for Hunter to hear. "N-No! That's ridiculous! I mean, we do, but that's because he's my guardian; we're supposed to be on vacation right now. He's just an old friend - emphasis on 'old'. We train together sometimes, and he really cares about me, protects me on occasion... err..." An almost unbearable heat rose from her. The air danced circles around her head, and a steady stream of blood colored her cheeks, ears, and nose. She tried to hide her face as she laughed nervously. "Oh man, is it really that obvious?"

"Quite obvious, really," Hunter replied, plain and simple. "To be honest, I felt similar feelings for someone nearly a year ago." Her hands squeezed themselves around the cup of coffee that she had ordered as she averted her gaze. "... If you do not mind, I would rather not talk about it."

"Oh. I get it. Do you, uhm, want some ice cream?"

"... No, but I appreciate the offer."

Hunter's attention quickly turned to her beeping Scroll, and she answered it while Sonara shook the blush off of her face. "... Azure?"

"Hunter! Where are you? Melanie and Miltia lost Svann - said that he's heading East!"

 _East?_

"Use the Scroll's camera to find him - his Semblance only works on people!"

"Ugh!" Sonara spat into her bowl, wiping her tongue with her hands to purge her tastebuds of the flavor. "Why does this suddenly taste like beans and gravy? That's not cool!"

The Huntress' eye widened in recollection. _'His Semblance causes the senses to go all haywire. you might see or hear some things that aren't really there, so stay focused.'_ She stood to her feet and took Sonara by the hand, leading her into a less crowded area. "W-Wait! Don't we need to pay for that!"

Hunter answered loud enough for both Sonara and Azure to hear. "There's no time! Svann's here!" She disconnected from the call and released Sonara in favor of her sword. Sonara managed to regain her composure, locking and loading her gloves and boots with a click. Hunter kept her shield within her gauntlet to utilize the camera, and she began looking through the device.

"... Sonara," she warned, "Whatever you do, wait for my signal. Our opponent is using his Semblance to trick our senses."

"So he's the one that ruined my meal? I'll punch him so hard!" Her eyes zipped to and fro. surveying the people that passed the small alleyway that they were in. Images of Jacob Svann quickly flashed in her head before she saw the spiky, blonde hair of the man running down the street. Her lips surled, revealing a toothy grin. "I found him!" Before Hunter could say anything, Sonara sprinted to her adversary.

The redhead rounded the corner, leaping into the air. Her prey in her sights, she spiraled down with a spinning gale encasing her fist. Her target spun around, and her strike connected with the man's face. The bystanders that were once there had scurried away while he stumbled back to his feet. He saw Sonara preparing her next strike, and he raised his arms in a familiar stance. "Sonara, what the hell are you doing?" he shouted.

She charged again, but her strike was blocked by Kirin's body. Azure felt the concrete build up behind his feet as he slid behind the force of Sonara's punch, but he stood firmly in front of the target. "Sonara! Use your Scroll! It's us!" he shouted.

"My Scroll?" She flicked open the device and looked through its camera. Immediately, the image of Jacob vanished, and Enra stood in his place. She paled the moment she reflected on what had happened. "S-Sorry, Enra!"

The Faunus wiped his cheek as he shrugged. Now was not the time to talk, and he knew that. A nod was his only response before he continued onward, leaving Azure with the redhead.

As Enra ran, he withdrew his Scroll and held it at eye level. _This handicap is annoying, but his Semblance seems to affect only one person at a time. The kid's theory was accurate._

He ran several blocks before he could recognize the red and white dresses of the twins standing in a vacant lot. They were surrounding someone - a tall man with spiky blonde hair and a tailcoat suit jacket. He caught up with them, readying one arm as the other held the Scroll steady. "This is him?" he inquired.

Miltia nodded. "That's him. That's Jacob Svann."

The man, Jacob, held his hands in the air casually. His voice was condescendingly sweet and calm despite the sharp accent it carried. "Ladies, wolfie, calm your horses. I'll introduce myself, thank you very much." With a low bow, he said to them, "My name is Jacob Svann. You guys can call me Jake. I hail from the kingdom of Mistral, and, I must say, what a wonderful day it is."

"Focus on your eyesight," Melanie explained, "He attacks the sense that's the most used at a given moment. If you focus on hearing, I will have to kill you."

The Faunus glanced to Melanie with a cautious expression. Recognizing it, the girl repeated herself. "If you focus on hearing, he will mess with that sense. The same goes for every other sense."

 _This is absurd. We can't communicate either. I see why he's Mu's best informant._

A feather zipped by, opening a portal on the building that towered over Jacob. Both Azure and Sonara dropped from it, weapons poised to strike. They struck the concrete below, missing the elusive informant. Jacob bowed to them as well with a smile on his face. "More of you? Where's the party, and where can I get my invitation?"

Hunter approached the group with her sword in hand. Slowly, they began to corner Jacob, though the smile on his face was still present. Not a bead of sweat grew on his face. "Guess I'm the host then."

He dashed forward, faster than their eyes could manage. Blades sprung out from his metal shoes, and his aim was precise. Had it not been for Melanie, Miltia would have been attacked from behind. The smile on the man's face grew some more. "Another connoisseur of fashionable weaponry? Nice to meet you!" He lowered his leg and spun around, slamming his foot in Melanie's face. The girl staggered back, and Jacob was swarmed by the rest of the group.

He ducked, weaved, and blocked their strikes as if he had eyes encircling the crown of his head. He kept his eyes fixated on Sonara, and when he heard the crackling of electricity coming from Azure, Sonara did not. He slithered out of range when Sonara moved in to strike, and the lightning from Kirin smited her. She dropped to a knee with Azure too busy apologizing to see Jacob's bladed heel sweep him off his feet. Another forceful kick sent him halfway across the lot.

A cloud of smoke suddenly enveloped Jacob, and the man felt two blades strike him simultaneously. A brief moment passed before he was struck by another set. When the smoke dissipated, Enra slammed his fist against the informant's face. Miltia followed punching the man hard enough to send him flying into Hunter's portal. He appeared beside Sonara who managed to slam him into the pavement. She smiled, raising a fist to finish him off.

But she could not strike him fast enough. He managed to overpower her, throwing her aside as he casually stood to his feet with one of his blade in his hand. "Can you feel it now, kids?" he teased, twirling the blade between his fingers.

Something was off. When Sonara stood to her feet, she felt that something was missing. The sudden heavy breathing that followed made her worry, and Hunter abruptly fell to a knee. "Hunter!" She ran, but she somehow fell to the ground below her feet. She could not even feel how warm or how cold it felt, and that was when it clicked.

Jacob shrugged his shoulders, shaking his head. "I can tell you guys had it out for me. I mean, no one's ever used Scrolls to negate my Semblance. But I ain't that gullible. If I can't take your sight or speech, I'll just take what you kids need in order to fight - your sense of touch: Pain. I bet you couldn't even feel your aura drop!"

Azure could barely stand. He focused on his Scroll, eyeing how low everyone's aura really was. What he found surprised him; their aura was already nearing the red even though it had only been five minutes of combat. _Have we even hit him as hard as we wanted to? He's carrying himself as if he were untouched._

The informant rolled his shoulders. "It was a nice attempt, kids, but I'm afraid I'm gonna to have to-"

Jacob was interrupted by the engine overhead. From the sleek aircraft that flew above the buildings came a man with bone-like, pointed legs. When he landed, Jacob was suspended in mid-air - as if gravity had eased up for a brief moment in time. His eyes widened when he realized who joined the battle, and a nervous laugh escaped his lips. "H-Heya, Leader."

With a swift kick, Mu propelled Jacob's body onto the pavement. The concrete split under the force, and Jacob's aura dissolved. The informant lifted his head, staring up at Mu before he blacked out. The bone-like structures surrounding Mu's legs dissipated, and he scratched his cheek meekly. _I... didn't hit him that hard, did I?_

The team regrouped, standing before Mu and the target. Melanie and Miltia stood with them, confused as to why some hipster was Azure's new boss. Said hipster rubbed the back of his head and chuckled. "I still don't get why people don't open up with their strongest attack first, but I didn't even kick him like I'd kick a Creep. You guys must've put in more damage than I thought."

"... Without the sense of feeling, we may have actually overdone it. We could not even feel how much force we put in each attack."

"Which means that you've still got it!" Mu said, patting Hunter's shoulder. The veteran took a large step away from him.

Melanie and Miltia glanced towards Azure, and the boy shrugged. "Hey, he was assigned to be our mentor. I didn't choose him."

The twins scoffed. "Whatever."

As the aircraft, piloted by Vegas, landed within the lot, Mu shouted above its engine. "Well, kids, it looks like you passed my absurdly difficult test! I think you're about ready to take on Eclipse! For now, report back to Beacon whenever you can; if you want to head back now, hop on!"

Mu carried Jacob into the vehicle. Hunter followed behind him, and Azure managed to thank the twins before he boarded the ship. However, Sonara stayed behind with Enra, as the ship departed from the lot. She pressed the palms of her hands together and lowered her head. "Sorry for punching you! It was that blonde guy's Semblance!"

Enra eyed the redhead curiously. He rolled his eyes and shrugged. "He was a difficult opponent to deal with. I would've attacked four people if it weren't for the kid's quick thinking."

"You mean Bright-Eyes?" Melanie inquired. The Faunus paused for a moment before nodding slowly. "Yeah, it was Bright-Eyes' idea."

"So you're not upset?" Sonara asked.

Enra turned his back to her, and he began to walk away from the scene. "Sure. Let's say that."

It took a second for Sonara to process what he had said, but, when she did, she silently cheered and raced after Enra. Melanie and Miltia shared a glance, and Miltia shrugged. "That was a fun break."

"I wish it lasted longer."

"Yeah."

* * *

Beacon Academy…

Azure rounded the corner with haste, coughing so roughly that his eyes began to water. Thankfully, no one was around to see him in such a sorry state, for the Huntsman and Huntresses were still on their field trip. Still, he was causing a ruckus. He knew that it would only be a matter of time until someone of authority followed him.

Bracing himself against the lockers, he fell to his knees and coughed out the remaining fits. He was fortunate that he had not tainted the lockers or the floor. Regardless, he was now alone, accompanied only by the strings of saliva that teased his chin. He swept them onto his sleeve before calming down.

 _D-Damn... This is much earlier than I anticipated. It's already starting to reach my respiratory syste-_

"Mr. Bliksem? Are you in there?" An uncannily articulate voice chirped.

Azure grit his teeth. Oobleck? Why Oobleck of all people? He hurriedly staggered to his feet before straightening his posture. When he turned around, the green-haired professor was standing before him, concern glazed over his features. "Are you alright, Mr. Bliksem? You appear to be paler than usual."

"Y-Yeah. Just, err, taking care of some business, that's all," he said while his hand clenched the clothing around his chest.

Oobleck glanced at the locker, and he shook his head. "Honestly, Mr. Bliksem. If you wanted to sabotage Mr. Winchester's locker with an illness, the least you can do is be discrete."

"Wait. What?"

"That being said, I'm afraid I cannot allow you to do that; but do not worry, I will contact a janitor to sanitize the area."

"N-No! I'm not sabotaging anyone or anything!" Azure explained, "I just... I came down with a cough. I know it's pathetic, but it's actually much stronger than I thought it was."

"Hmm..." Oobleck studied the boy, throwing the occasional glance towards the locker. "Well, I suppose that, in this scenario, you are forgiven. However, I will still contact a janitor to sanitize the area... though a quarantine may be in order considering how violent a cough like yours sounded."

Azure chuckled nervously, and Oobleck continued. "I advise you - and this is an order - to get some bedrest. I have seen your grades thus far, and I say that you have definitely earned it. But, overall, do stay healthy, Mr. Bliksem. A team needs their leader, after all."

"Yeah. Consider it done, Professor."

" _Doctor_ ," Oobleck corrected before darting out of the locker room. Once he was sure that Oobleck was gone, the boy rubbed his aching chest with a weak smile on his face. He lifted Kirin, rubbing a finger along the black, speckled material that was its blades. He then returned it to the clip behind his waist, and he walked out of the locker room.


	14. Ch14: C'est La Vie

_RWBY belongs to the wonderful Roosterteeth and Monty Oum._

* * *

Chapter 14: C'est La Vie

Amphitheater...

Glynda watched her two students spar against one another. While she professionally wore a face of neutrality during the first minute of the battle, she had to admit to herself how shocking it was to see one of Ozpin's operatives lose a majority of his aura.

Two daggers spun furiously, clashing against Kirin's frame. The force knocked Azure back somewhat, and the operative responded with a violent, upward swing. Just when his opponent jumped out of his range, the elongated form of the weapon caught the mint-haired student's leg and swept him off his feet.

Though the boy managed to hop to his feet again, a small cheer elicited from Sonara, who sat in the stands surrounding the amphitheater. "Yeah! Give him another for me!"

Enra, staring down at the combatants, replied curtly. "You've requested that three times now."

"Of course I did. I don't like how that guy looks. He's probably some kind of ruffian."

 _Says the ruffian..._ The Faunus continued to spectate his leader. Ever since he saw him fight against Slate, Enra suspected that Azure was no normal fighter. The rate at which his battle prowess evolves to counter his opponent was astounding to say the least, but the amount of aura the boy had was miserable. _It is disconcerting._

Azure reverted Kirin back into its base form and poised it for another attack. He focused solely on his opponent, who had begun sprinting towards him. Yet, in the spur of the moment, he eyed the board. His fingers twitched against the triggers, but he decided against it, sheathing his weapon behind his waist. Raising both hands above his head, he said aloud, "I'm done. You win."

Surprised, the student tripped over his own feet to avoid slamming into his opponent, and some of their spectators may have done the same if they were him. He raised his head, stammering, "D-Done? You're not even in the red yet!"

"That doesn't matter. I lose. You win."

"But-"

"That's enough, Mr. Thrush." Glynda stepped between the two, looking down at the student in question. "Your opponent has forfeited the match. It would be uncivilized and against the Vytal Festival's code of conduct to continue fighting a student who has willingly surrendered."

The professor then turned her attention towards Azure. "Mr. Bliksem, I would advise paying more attention to your aura. Your attacks hit their mark more often in the latter half of the fight, but not all of your opponents will offer you that freedom. Be sure to utilize your Semblance if the situation demands it."

Finally, she turned her attention to the students who watched on. "Take this as another lesson: Live to fight another day. If you see that the battle is not in your favor, it is best to surrender or retreat to learn from your mistakes." Looking back at Russel and Azure, Glynda dismissed them to their respective seats. As they left, she prepared to call down the next two combatants: Yang Xiao Long and Lie Ren.

* * *

Mess Hall…

"Why'd you do that?"

Azure stopped toying with the food on his plate and looked up at Sonara. "Um... Do what, exactly?"

The girl threw her hands in the air spastically, accentuating her frustration. "You threw the match! You were winning! Even Enra was surprised!" She gestured towards their silent teammate who did not hesitate to not answer her. Hearing his silence, she laid her head on her arms. "My perfect K/D ratio's ruined. This is the worst possible morning ever."

"Russel won fair and square. Besides, I wasn't 'winning'."

"Then what _were_ you doing?" she asked, shooting up like a loose spring.

"I-It's complicated! I can't just win against some guy like that, especially one as fast as him. I need more time to learn his patterns - more time to download that data. How can I compete against something that erratic?"

Sonara absentmindedly blinked twice before she fully sat in her seat. Clarity struck her faster than lightning, gasping slowly before her lips curled upward. Leaning in closer, she asked, "Have you never trained as a Huntsman before?"

His face reddened slightly, and he averted his gaze. "Well... I, err, m-may not have gone to a combat school before..."

By the grace of the gods, Sonara did not fall out of her seat in laughter. Howling from pure amusement alone, she managed to gather the attention of a few more students. As she calmed down, Enra gave his feedback. "You were adept for your first time."

"It was dumb luck. I'm just fortunate I managed to catch onto a tactic or two at the halfway mark."

"Yeah, like how he loves to just run in and take a couple swipes at you. I bet it takes a real genius to figure that one out."

"Hey, he's not that dumb… I think. His aura senses would've tingled, and he would've dodged my attack." Azure groaned, pressing his gloved palm against his head. "Either way, he's a Huntsman-in-training who fought using a set of guidelines presented by a professor; I wouldn't be so lucky if it were someone like Slate or Jacob."

Svann's name sent shivers down Sonara's back, and for good reason. Only two days had passed since their 'field trip', yet she was still sore from the ordeal, namely because a certain person's weapon is an overcomplicated tazer. However, Mu, the man's former leader was keeping him somewhere near the school - fully recovered and as deadly as when they found him. It did not help the team sleep comfortably, to put things lightly.

Just as the tension began to settle in, Sonara suggested to her blue-haired friend, "You could always train with Enra." The Faunus did not appear to be opposed to the idea, but his gaze was now fixed onto Azure.

Their leader took a defensive stance against it. "I don't think that'd be good for my health."

"You'll be fine!"

"... Did something terrible happen?" Hunter voiced her concern as she and another Faunus approached the table. When the redhead saw her teammate, she lit up with joy. "Hunter! You're early!"

The small welcoming party was not completely unexpected, but it caught her off guard. "... Well, I only recently finished my morning classes, and Road's busy with her own work. Fortunately, I do have Velvet to keep me company, which reminds me..."

Hunter turned to her Faunus friend and ushered her forward. The guest appeared nervous at first, but she managed to find some solace with Hunter at her side. Her tall, rabbit ears relaxed from their heightened and erect state, and she waved to the three. "Hello," she said in a lovely accent, "It's a pleasure to meet you; Hunter's already told me so much. My name's Velvet."

"Enra."

"Sonara Heart, reporting for duty, as per usual!"

"Azure. Azure Bliksem."

The redhead leaned closer towards Velvet, pointing at her two comrades. "You can just call them Wolfie and Sparky respectively."

"Uhm, okay?" _I didn't think the nicknames were that bad, but I guess Hunter was right._

The veteran took one step forward, looking down at the team. "... So what happened? Azure looked pale before I arrived."

"Sparky ruined my K/D, so I want Wolfie to train him."

Now with three Faunus and one demon staring him down, Azure found the table quite interesting as he gradually shrank beneath it. "I'm not really _against_ the idea... I've just always preferred an open casket funeral when I die."

"... I would appreciate it if no one preferred a casket of any sort," Hunter explained before pinning an analytical eye on Azure. "My advice is to cut the hair."

" _My hair_?" Azure screamed, holding his lengthy ponytail in his hands. "Th-that's a bit extreme, don't you think?"

"Nuh-uh."

Hunter gave a nonchalant shrug. "... Nope."

"I agree with Hunter," Velvet voiced with a smile.

"... You should cut yours as well, Velvet. It would look nicer." Hunter watched in mild amusement as Velvet took a hasty step away from her friend. "Could you please stop telling me that," she begged, embracing a her hair, "I can take care of myself. You know this."

"I could cut it for you," the wolf offered.

Azure slid away from Enra. " _You_ aren't cutting anything!"

Enra gave the boy a half-hearted shrug before returning to his own thoughts. Meanwhile, Hunter directed her attention to Sonara. "... Sonara, would you like to accompany us on a walk through Vale?"

"Of course!" Sonara leapt out of her seat, grabbing handfuls of food in a more than graceless manner. As the three of them departed, Hunter looked over her shoulder and addressed Enra more so than Azure. "... Do play nice, you two. I do not want to see harm befall either of you." When she and the girls finally left, the boys glanced at each other. Once the Faunus' eyes darted towards Azure's hair, the younger of the two protested in a manner more fit for felines. Despite everything, Enra was mostly transfixed by how similar Azure was to a cat.

* * *

Vale…

Dozens of trumpets resounded in Sonara's red head as she tailed behind Hunter and Velvet. She had to admit it to herself: she was probably the greatest friend ever. _Well, 'probably' isn't really how I'd put it. I_ _ **am**_ _the greatest._

Her eye then caught something intriguing. "Oh! Hunter!"

"... Is something wrong?"

"No! It's perfect!" she exclaimed, turning towards the decorations that were being planned for the preparation of the Vytal Festival Tournament. Her eyes lit up when she saw a small group of civilians conversing over something that most likely involved the decor. "Everyone's working so hard. It's like it's a small village or something; it's so cool! Do the people of Vale do this often?"

Hunter glanced towards Velvet, who returned an equally worried look. "... I would hope that every kingdom's people cooperate like this. Is your home not like Vale regarding their people?"

"I dunno. I didn't see Mistral that often. I'd have to ask Clover; he always has the answer."

An odd answer. Maybe it was layered? It lingered longer in Hunter's head that she expected it to, and she could tell from Velvet's expression that she was thinking the same thing. Instead of asking her directly, Hunter decided on an approach that she had learned from Ozpin and, regrettably, Mu. "... Perhaps you should call him. The answer may surprise you."

Sonara gasped at the thought. "Hunter! You're a genius!"

"... Do not speak highly of me, please," Hunter mumbled. "It was the simplest solution."

The redhead opened her Scroll and reached for a single icon on the projected screen. With a single swipe, she was already awaiting his answer. The speed of her movements impressed Velvet enough to make her gasp. "She has him on speed dial? Exactly who is Clover?"

"... A ' _friend_ ' of hers."

As if on cue, the two Faunus heard a youthful yet collected voice smoothly enter their ears. "Ms. Heart?"

Sonara jumped at the formal greeting, grasping the Scroll with both hands so that Hunter and Velvet could not hear her. "I thought I told you to just call me Sonara! We went over this!"

"O-Oh! Right. Sorry." Clover cleared his throat. "Why the sudden call, Sonara?"

"I just wanted to know if people got together for events and stuff in Mistral."

Clover paused for a brief moment. "People definitely converse, Sonara. It's natural and healthy for people to be social. If they weren't, we wouldn't have a lot of what we have today."

"Like the sewers?"

"No. Those can disappear for all I care."

"Yeah. The world's better off without them."

Another moment went by as the Faunus watched their guest in amusement. Clover broke the silence unabatedly. "Was that all you wanted to ask?"

"U-Uh... Yeah! Yep! Donezo! Peace!"

"Right. Talk to you later."

Sonara hung up the phone before turning to Hunter and Velvet. "Well, it looks like Mistral's the same... Why are you laughing? Did I say something funny?"

Hunter tried her best to stifle a laugh, though Velvet was not helping. The rabbit Faunus shyly pointed towards Sonara and said beneath her laughter, "You're _glowing_ , Sonara! Are you always like that when speaking with Clover?"

"Shut up! I won't be your comic relief!" The redhead reached into her bag, withdrawing and opening a small cup of ice cream before downing it. Her 'glow' gradually receded until it was no more.

"... Apologies. I could not help myself," Hunter replied with a small smile. "Did he clear anything up?"

Emerald eyes motioned from Hunter towards the civilians. Their expression was strangely content, maybe even somber. In her silence, the Faunus felt their chests tighten.

"Yeah, I think he did."

A breath of relief escaped their lungs, though Sonara's smile still made them ache. "Is everything alright?" Velvet asked her.

Sonara looked back at her friends, her smile even larger than before. "Of course! Why ask?"

"Well, nothing really, but..." Velvet gave Hunter a concerned look, but Hunter returned it all the same. "Did something happen in Mistral?"

For a minute, Sonara seemed utterly confused. From the look on her face, she was genuinely surprised. Then, she was content. "Wow. That's a lot of questions," she murmured before addressing them. "Nothing that I don't know of. I mean, Daddy never let me leave the house, but I could always go with Clover. Those were... _alright_ times, but I don't wanna focus on that junk! We've got a kingdom to raze! Let's go!"

She leapt into a sprint, taking off before either Faunus could stop her. Velvet glanced at Hunter with a small hint of reluctant curiosity. "She means 'explore', right?"

"... If it makes you feel any better, she might not be as bad as Coco."

With a sigh, Velvet proceeded to follow the redhead. Fortunately for her, Sonara had managed to get distracted by a restaurant. "You always manage to get the stranger students, huh? I'm sure Professor Ozpin did this to cheer you up."

 _... Did he?_ The thought had crossed her mind before, but she never paid attention to it. Other than team ASHE qualifying for the role as student-operatives, the actual roster of the team was what piqued her interest. One is a technophile that controls machinery. Another is an explosive redhead, and the last is an acquaintance. The latter of the three was the least of her worries, but none of them were what she would consider 'operative-ready'... like team HAZL. Hunter shook the thought out of her head. "... I doubt that this was his intention. I never asked for this."

"But you deserve it. Besides, it's working already; you're smiling."

Swiftly, Hunter's head turned away from Velvet. "... Enough. We should stop Sonara before something actually gets destroyed."


End file.
